Fallout 3: The Avenger
by Mr Wang 330
Summary: Jason Lee is another dweller of Vault 101. But when his Dad left, he now must embark on a journey of truth, family, love, and danger, as he treks across the Capital Wasteland. Fallout 3 with new twists, OCs, quests, and other stuff. My first Fallout fic.
1. Intro

**Hello everybody. I'm new to Fallout fanfiction, and I must say, the stories here are awesome! Sorry to anyone if I steal your thunder. I have no idea how this story will play out. I will try to make this story as good as possible, and give more importance to NPCs, put a couple OCs, and put my own little twist in here and there. Here I go anyway...  
**

Deep in the charred ruins of civilization that was Washington D.C., there was a vault, a place of refuge, a new start for a small bit of humanity. And in that vault, lied a vault dweller, known as Jason Lee…

"Well Jason, 92 degrees… you seem fine to me. You're perfectly healthy 16 year old boy. So that means you'll have to take the G.O.A.T. test today."

Jason nodded at his father James.

"Alright Dad. Any thing you should point out about it?"

Well, whatever info I can tell you is pretty much common knowledge. And there really is no right or wrong way to take it. Be sure to take it seriously however. I wouldn't want your mother's ghost haunting me because her son became a garbage burner."

"Hey Dad, can we talk about Mom for a bit…?"

"I suppose so. She… was beautiful. She was a well respected doctor, like myself, and she was very passionate about her work. The only thing she cherished more was you. If only she could see you now. Well, enough of my ranting, go on now. You've got an exam to take!"

"Dad, can you tell me the answers you gave so I can be a doctor?"

James looked a little unsure and uncertain.

"Well… son I think its best to see what you're made for. You might not be fit to be a doctor. Don't get me wrong. You've done your studies very well. Your dedication to medicine is admirable. Besides… I think they might have changed it a bit since I… last took it. Now go on. Make me proud."

Jason proceeded to see Jonas walking in. Jonas was always a good friend. A fellow student in medicine, Jonas has been a family friend since he could remember. Jason quickly said hi before leaving to class. Along the way, he saw a group of people known as Tunnel Snakes harassing Amata, one of Jason's best friends. Jason had nothing against these guys, and sometimes, Jason even hung out with them. But messing with his friend is something Jason doesn't take too lightly.

"Butch what's going on here?" Jason said.

Their leader turned to look at Jason, clearly showing he was annoyed.

"Yo Jas'! What the hell do you want? Shouldn't you be tendin' a rice paddy or something? "

"Leave Amata alone. You answer to me!"

"Whoah tough guy! You her boyfriend or something? Try acting tough again! See what happens…"

"Butch, leave her alone before I kick your ass."

Butch started laughing, and he gestured his fellow Tunnel Snakes to laugh with him.

"C'mon Tunnel Snakes. Let's teach this tough guy a thing or two about ass-kicking!"

"Seriously Butch, three against one? Are you that much of a wuss?"

Wally Mack's intervention caused Butch to snap.

"Come on Butch. You've got balls don't you? You don't need our help. Kick his ass!"

"Quiet Wally, you're not helping!" Amata cried.

Butch immediately swung his fist at Jason, but he quickly dodged it. Butch was very reckless, while Jason was very planned out. He would quickly dodge Butch's punches while Jason countered with his own. Jason knew he was winning. The more Butch missed and got hit, the more agitated he became. The bell rang for class, and Butch finally gave up, as he rallied his Tunnel Snakes around him.

"You got saved by the bell Lee. Come on guys. He ain't worth our time."

Jason looked over to Amata.

"Are you okay? They hurt you?"

"No, but thanks for getting rid of them. Assholes."

Jason and Amata entered the nearby classroom and took their seats. Mr. Brotch, the Vault teacher was getting ready to start class.

"Well now. Since everybody is here, let's get started. Question 1: A frenzied vault scientist goes up to you and says, 'I want to put my quantum harmonizer in your phototonic resonation chamber!' How do you respond?"

As Jason took the G.O.A.T., he started to think at how ridiculous these questions were getting. Especially the last one.

"Hmm… I don't know… I'm stuck between A and C." Jason thought sarcastically.

"Okay class. It's over. The infamous G.O.A.T. Be sure to turn in your papers when you're done. You don't want to know what happens to those who 'fail' the test. Feel free to take the rest of the day off to celebrate… or pray for your future."

After waiting behind the other students, and hearing in on what the other's jobs will be (most amusing of all Butch), Jason finally was next to see what his future occupation would be.

"So Mr. Brotch? What will I be? Pharmacist? Physician? Junior medical officer?"

Brotch was looking uncertain, but tried to remain the slightest bit cheerful.

"Well let's see what it says… Well looks like we have ourselves a new maintenance technician. We've needed one since Old Man Palmer passed on. I'll be sure to send Stanley the notification."

"Wait… Maintenance?" Maintenance!?"

"Well, yes according to the test results. Listen. I know that you've always wanted to be a doctor. Following in Dad's footsteps and all. But you're an intelligent young guy. They might put you in any position and you could make wonders for the vault. Maybe maintenance is the best choice for you."

"Fine… I'll report to Stanley tomorrow."

Jason grudgingly walked away. He met up with Amata along the way.

"What's wrong?"

"I got stuck in Maintenance of all things."

"Oh… that's too bad. Don't worry, I'm sure you might find it interesting. Come on, let's go get some lunch."

Jason walked over with her to the diner.

Three years later…

It was a Saturday morning, and Jason was sleeping, dreaming about the story of his life.

His name was Jason Lee. His parents were Katherine Lee, and James Mathews. Jason bore the name of his mother, due to the fact that his parents never married, and to honor her and carry the family name. From what Jason understands, Katherine suffered extreme stress and pain delivering him, and she died suffering from cardiac arrest. She used to be a skilled scientist, enveloping all her time to her studies, until she was pregnant. At least that's what his father said. Something about James talking about Katherine is a subject that he speaks in a way that seems… doubtful. What does it all mean? It probably doesn't really matter now. Since then, James has had to raise Jason all by himself.

Since he was a kid, Jason had always dreamed of becoming a doctor just like dear old Dad. He dedicated most of his spare time in childhood studying in scientific pursuits. However, following the G.O.A.T. test, Jason's dedication was discouraged… but not stopped. He then for the next three years, worked on machines and computers, as well as doing most of the vault's manual labor for volunteer work. When he wasn't working, he was usually catching up on his studies for medicine. He made his Dad proud, but because him keeping booked schedule most of the time, he sometimes feels isolated from his friends. "My friends…" Jason thought.

Jason had a decent amount of friends. He would spend time with them often, but usually was alone, not because he wasn't sociable; far from it. He was quite the charming guy; but he just keeps himself busy. His best friend needless to say was Amata Almodovar. He and Amata have been best friends since as long as he could remember. Her confident, modest attitude was admirable. Some people wonder if Jason and Amata are in a relationship. Jason knows he doesn't like Amata like that, though his mind has wondered about "what-if" moments. Their bond was brought together by the common misfortune of having not known their mothers, and is almost brother and sister like. Jason is still uncertain if Amata has any true feelings about him.

Next, were the Holden twins. Tom Holden is a great guy who works at the diner as a cook, while his sister Mary is the waitress. Jason is a regular, and often spends a lot of time there when not studying, and enjoys their company. Tom is a real stand-up guy, while Mary is a somewhat soft-spoken, yet sociable young woman. They display classic behavior of sibling rivalry.

Next on Jason's list of friends was Freddie Gomez. Freddie was probably one of the more sociable people from Butch's band of miscreants. He was a good guy, and not half bad; he merely hangs out with the Tunnel Snakes because he likes the approval he gets from them. That, and there's not too many guys his age around. Jason and Freddie are probably associates at best.

Last but certainly not least was Christine… Christine Kendall… Jason's crush since the age of 15. She was a kind young woman, but is often verbally abused by her father. She's recently shown curiosity of what's beyond these concrete walls. She too got stuck in maintenance and the two were forced to work in the same maintenance department. Over time, the two developed a unique friendship. Over time however, Christine found out his true feelings, and kept him at arms length. Its not that she didn't like him, but she merely didn't feel like having the stress of a relationship. Over time, Jason soon realized that it wouldn't work out, so they've stayed just friends.

Jason's mind found itself reflecting on the young man he had become now. Even though he is still a maintenance technician, he found it somewhat interesting. He still wish he were a doctor. Some people say that his eyes show the sparkling kindness and charisma of a doctor, and some say the toughness and wisdom of a Chinese soldier. However, some of the more simple minded people, such as Butch, say Jason's Chinese-ish mustache makes him look like a grizzled samurai. Jason is quite annoyed when people can't tell a difference between Chinese and Japanese. Samurai is Japanese, dumbass!

As his thoughts continued wandering, Jason could sense some outside disturbance waking him…

"Jason! My god, Jason, wake up!"

**There you go! That is just an intro to help you get a feel of what Jason is like. Nothing much, nothing exciting anyway. Oh well, please review!**


	2. The Great Escape

**Author Notes: Thank you all for reviewing! Special thanks to MysticGohan88, VaultDweller, Dbird, and Fire Kunai for reviews. Very special thanks to Shinsou808, who pointed out some areas I'll have to try and improve on. If you have any suggestions, please say so. Without further ado, I bring you chapter two!**

Jason woke up to see his friend Amata. He picked up his pair of reading glasses he often wore, so he could help focus his eyes. He saw Amata looking like she had seen a ghost. She had a look of concern and fear upon her usually cheerful face. Something happened. He could feel it. The very mood and atmosphere seemed… dark. Tense. Chaotic. He could tell that this wouldn't be just another Saturday morning.

"Amata? What's up with you?"

"Jason, it's your dad! He left the vault! He escaped! Jason, my father's men are out looking for you. He…"

"Whoah, slow down… What the hell is going on? How did he leave? This place has been sealed for 200 damn years!"

"I…I don't know. Do you know anything about him leaving? Did he say anything to you?"

"No… Hold on… did you say your dad's men are after me!?"

"Well yeah, but…"

"Damn! I have to get the hell out of here!"

Jason frantically screamed and grabbed a backpack, and stuffed some random items in it. He wasn't paying much attention to what he was doing. He was just very confused. Amata merely stared at him, though she found it somewhat amusing to see him flip out like this.

"Food… water… clothes… snacks… money… medical supplies… damn it!"

"Jason, calm down! It's not as simple as you think. The Overseer has this place on lockdown. They are on high alert. They even killed Jonas for…"

"Wait… Jonas is dead…?"

"Yes. I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do."

"Your dad… killed Jonas?"

"Well… yes and no… he ordered the guards to kill him…"

His look of disbelief turned to a look of anger. Jason immediately walked over to an old box with a lock on it. He used his key, and got out something he thought he'd never use in a long time… his brass knuckles; a gift from Freddie on Jason's birthday last year. That bastard killed his friend. He shouldn't have wronged somebody he shouldn't have messed with.

"I am going to kill that son of a bitch!"

"No, wait!"

Amata grabbed Jason's arm and halted him. A pleading look was in her eyes. It was probably the same sad look you'd see if you had to put a sick puppy out of its misery.

"Jason… please don't. My dad was… my dad was confused and frightened. He only wanted to protect the vault's residents. I know Jonas was your friend. I know you must be pretty angry now… angry at me… but please don't make my father suffer because of it."

Jason's anger quickly went away. Why does she always blame herself? Jason knew he could never hurt Amata like that, even if Jonas was dead. Why was he so forgiving? Jason took a sigh and had calmed down a bit.

"Alright…I'm sorry… I won't do it."

She silently whispered "thank you," yet she seemed as if she was whispering to herself than at him. The two had a brief silent moment before Jason's mind got back to the situation at hand.

"Do you have a plan on getting out of here?"

"Don't I always? Okay, the front entrance is locked down, so you'll need to use a tunnel my dad has in his office. You'll need to gain entrance to his terminal. Activate the tunnel, and go from there."

"Thanks Amata… you've always been a good friend."

"Thanks. Be careful. I'll meet you out at the vault door."

Amata sprinted off, while Jason continued gathering his things. He slipped the brass knuckle on his fingers and headed off. As he walked in the plain corridors, he suddenly felt how dark it seemed in the vault. The industrial lights that flickered in the hallway seemed like they were a living entity. A ghost even. Jason never felt so desolate in his own home. Along the way, he kicked and stomped the Radroaches that got in his way. It appears like an infestation came along. Probably a result of the vault door opening. Jason approached the end of the hall by his room. He heard footsteps walking by, stalking him. Suddenly, a familiar face appeared; Officer Kendall.

"Halt! You're under arrest in the name of the Overseer!"

"Kendall, look. You don't have to do this."

"Yes I do. Just because you're my daughter's friend doesn't mean anything. I AM the law! Now stand down, or I will be authorized to use deadly force!"

"I'm sorry. I can't do that. And I can't bring myself to hurt my friend's father either."

"Then that will make taking you down that much easier."

Kendall quickly swung his police baton at Jason, him narrowly escaping it. Jason tried punching him, but noticed that his efforts were futile due to Kendall's security vest. Jason tried hitting him again, at an exposed area near the base of his neck. Jason was successful, but heard something faintly crack, and Officer Kendall fell to the ground limp.

"… Kendall…? You okay? Kendall?! Oh shit…"

It was never Jason's intention to kill him, but Jason was just wanted to be sure his blood wouldn't be on his hands. He unstrapped Kendall's security vest and helmet and set them aside. He felt Kendall's neck, and found he broke his collar bone. As far as he could tell, the shock of the impact knocked him out. Jason knew he would live, but he applied a stimpak on him for good measure. Jason felt he had already wasted too much time, so he left Kendall, and strapped his vest to his chest. He continued looking around for the office, to see the vault has gone to hell. People dead, roaches roaming, and people trying to kill him. His thoughts were interrupted by a certain leather-clad "friend" of his.

"Jas'! Thank god! Listen man, you gotta help me!"

"Back off, Butch. I don't need this crap now."

"Come on, please? You have to help me! It's my Ma! She's dying!"

"Sorry Butch, I have enough problems on my hands now."

"C'mon, is this because I made fun of you for bein' Asian? I'm sorry man! It's not my fault your kind bombed the hell out of this country!"

Jason raised an eyebrow indicating that Butch wasn't helping his case. Jason had never seen him like this. He was usually one smooth, cool guy. He was just losing it. Perhaps his mother really was in that much danger.

"Fine… I'll take care of it."

Butch let out a frantic sigh, and led Jason to his mom, Ellen, where she was attacked by roaches. Jason quickly dispatched the Radroaches and marched off, but before he could leave, Butch wanted to properly thank him.

"Oh thanks man! You're the best! Everything's gonna be okay now! Take my jacket! I can't offer much, but take it!"

Butch practically shoved it in Jason's arms, as he was almost skipping back home, happy his mom's alive. Jason never really realized how much of a wuss Butch really is. He's probably just all talk. Jason moved on towards the Atrium, where he met Officer Gomez, who was kind enough to let Jason pass. He also noticed Andy burning down a couple roaches with his flamer. That is probably one of the first things he's done right in weeks! He moved on and reached the Atrium.

As he got up there, he noticed his friends, Tom and Mary Holden. Tom was extremely paranoid right now, seeing the vault in the state it was. It wasn't like him. He looked like he went to hell, and came back to tell the tale. He was shaking, and he was scared.

"Jason! God, your dad had the right idea! Roaches killing, people dying… I gotta get the hell outta here!"

Tom rushed to the front door leading to leading to the vault entrance, only to be gunned down by Officers O'Brian and Richards.

"Jesus Christ! You fucking killed him!"

"Tom! No!"

Jason pushed aside Mary away from the gunfire, and he did what was on instinct. He rushed toward the guards and clenched his fists. Adrenaline was coursing through his body, as he ran towards them. His vest stopped a bullet or two, while he shrugged off the rest. He quickly punched Richards in the neck hearing it crack violently. Jason threw his fist at O'Brian's face, and actually broke through the plastic face shield on his helmet. Both officers fell to the floor and didn't move. Something red was on the corner of the lens on Jason's glasses. He took the off to clean them. Horrified, Jason looked at his knuckles stained in blood. Was he really that strong? It was probably the adrenaline. It can make wonders and feats of almost superhuman abilities. Jason checked for a pulse on both officers. They were dead. Nothing could be done about them now. It was a strange feeling, killing a man. It's scarring, sure. Jason knew very well now, that this was merely just first blood. And there would be a long bloody road ahead of him. He put his glasses back on and walked away and noticed Mary crying over Tom's body. Strangest thing though… he was moving!

"Jason, he's alive!"

Jason rushed over to his downed friend in disbelief.

"Tom, you lucky bastard…"

"Hey that's what I'm here for. You wouldn't mind patchin' me up here would you? No biggie. I only got shot like, what? Three times? I'm sure I'll manage."

"Heh. Only you can still be a smart-ass while dying. Hold on…"

Jason injected a stimpak, but tried other methods as well. He tried using older pre-war methods of healing. Stuff even as essential as bandages and disinfectants were often tossed aside in favor of the stimpak. It was a "miracle drug," as it could stop bleeding, heal wounds, disinfect, regenerate tissues, even strengthen bones on occasion. You merely had to know how to use it right. Then, a lone stimpak can make wonders for healing the most horrible injuries on someone. However, Jason came to appreciate the older ways of healing. And with proper initial treatment, time heals wounds like no other. He took out some medical supplies from his backpack and started operating on Tom.

"Okay, so I've disinfected the wound, extracted the bullets, and wrapped you up. You should be as good as new… in a couple weeks."

"Thanks man. You're the best doctor around."

"I'm not technically a doctor, but thanks."

"Not a doctor! Well, shit! How the hell do I know you didn't screw me up even more?!"

Jason smirked and patted his friend on the back. Mary stayed behind to help tend to her brother. Jason went up the stairs to see a very pissed off Allen Mack.

"Guards! Guards! That doctor's kid is here! Everything is screwed up now because of you! You and your dad!"

Jason flipped him off before ignoring him. Allen's cries for help however attracted the attention of Chief Hannon. Hannon blindly rushed toward Jason swinging the baton at him. Jason sidestepped and pushed Hannon off the railing of the balcony falling to the lower level. That didn't knock him out, as it was just to slow him down. Jason quickly ran off in to the administration room, and found Floyd Lewis dead on the ground. Jason took off Lewis's glasses and closed his eyelids. He worked with the man for the past three years. What the hell was going on? He quietly mourned before hearing Hannon's struggling grunts getting up to find him. Jason put Lewis's glasses in his pocket before running again.

Jason was sneaking through a corridor, before hearing a few familiar voices. He peeked through a window, and saw Amata, Officer Steve Mack, and non other than Alphonse Almodovar; A.K.A., the Overseer.

"Now, Amata, please tell us where Jason is. We won't hurt him. We'll just ask him a few questions. Don't make this difficult for us."

"Dad, he did nothing wrong! He's my friend, and he would've told me about any of this. But I can't tell you where he is. Please don't hurt him. He's innocent!"

"Yes Amata, we realize that, but please; the lives everyone in Vault 101 could depend on this. I don't know about Officer Mack, but it would pain me to see you hurt because you refuse to cooperate."

Officer Mack raised his baton to strike Amata, but before he could, Jason hit Mack's neck, not as hard as he did with Richards or Kendall, but enough to knock him out. Amata quickly used this opportunity to flee, while the Overseer cursed under his breath. Jason moved up to him.

"Listen, I don't want any trouble. I want this senseless bloodshed to stop."

"As do I. Jason, I realize you are a good man. This is all not your fault. If you really want to help, please surrender yourself. It's for the best of the vault."

Jason sighed as he grudgingly took off his brass knuckles and gave them to the Overseer. The Overseer started to laugh maniacally as he punched Jason with his brass knuckles.

"It's good that you cooperate. But you're still very much a threat to this vault. Now please… I can make your death as quick and painless as you so wish."

Jason was lucky Alphonse was not exactly the strongest man, though he broke Jason's glasses, which he was on the ground trying to find.

"Damn it… I need contacts…"

The Overseer kicked Jason on the ground, still laughing like a psychopath. Just then, someone hit the overseer on the back on the head with a rolling pin, effectively knocking him out. Who could that be?

"Hey buddy, did I arrive on time?"

"Tom! Heh, you son of bitch!"

"Your welcome buddy. Least I could do to help. Now come on! We've got a vault to escape!"

Tom and Mary helped pick Jason off the ground. Jason pulled out Lewis's glasses to substitute for his own, and grabbed his knuckles from the Overseer's hands. Seems like Jason would get a little help. The trio continued on, and saw Jonas's body. Jason's quietly mourned, and then went through the desks grabbing cash from the desks; they might need it. Before leaving, Jason noticed a voice recording in a pocket on Jonas's lab coat. He would have to listen to this later. They left and continued before entering the Overseer's office. Mary was able to help pick the lock getting in. The three scavenged what they could in the area. Tom decided to keep one of the Overseer's 10 millimeter pistols. They found a disk containing the Overseer's information. They inserted it in his terminal, and it was soon logging in. Jason looked through files, until he came across certain scouting reports. What Jason found shocked him, and the Holdens. There was contact with the outside world! It was said that the outside world is safe enough without wearing radiation suits. Even more miraculous was that humanity has survived, and civilization exists! A thriving settlement, known as Megaton, was not too far from Vault 101! Jason's world as he knew it was completely destroyed, yet recreated. Jason quickly opened the tunnel to the vault entrance. The Overseer's entire desk moved up, revealing a set of stairs leading downward. The exit was mere moments away, and Jason and his friends could feel it. They then entered an empty room. Tom flipped a switch and a door opened… leading to Vault 101's entrance itself.

"This is it. We're finally here!"

Jason ran over to a console, where activated a couple of switches and buttons. An alarm sounded, and Jason saw Amata rushing in. Compressed air was released, and the massive door moved forward, and spun to the left revealing the undisturbed rock that lay before it.

"Oh my god… you actually opened it."

"Jesus… the outside world. Right there in front of us."

He was ecstatic. Wow… simply wow…

"Thanks, Amata… for helping me out."

"No, thank you. You saved me back there. Back with my dad and Officer Mack. Thanks."

"Goodbye Amata. You were always a good friend."

Jason hugged her, and could feel her crying on his shoulder.

"Before you go, there's something I want to say…"

He would've cried too, if he had not noticed Officers Park and Wolfe heading toward them. He quickly said bye to Amata, before running toward the metal door, with Tom and Mary right behind him. Tom started firing his gun at the officers, until Park fell to the ground. The trio left the vault door, and were officially outside. Wolfe stopped in his tracks.

"I don't care what the Overseer says. No way in hell I'm going out there!"

Wolfe went to the console, closing the door once more, making sure that they would be gone for good. Amata was still crying a bit on the same place she stood. There went the man who was her friend; the man she had a crush on since ten; the man she loved. Officer Wolfe checked Park's body, confirming his death. He went over and grabbed Amata's arm to escort her to the Overseer. Amata knew things could never be the same in Vault 101.

Jason, Tom, and Mary exited a pair of rickety wooden doors, that probably hadn't been used for centuries. They headed out, and what they saw was something far beyond, yet far below their expectations. The wasteland was dry with no signs of life. Ruins of buildings littered the once countryside. Not a shred of hope, or prosperity ruined the perfect horror and death that was the Capital Wasteland. Tom put it in much simpler words.

"Wow! What a shithole!"

Jason couldn't blame him. The aptly named "scenic overlook" definitely lived up to its name. The three hiked down and explored the area.

**Well how do you like it? Tell me your thoughts. Remember, if you have any suggestions, please tell me. And please review!**


	3. Welcome to Megaton

**Author Notes: Wow, 12 reviews already! Thank you all of you. This is a long one. Hope you enjoy. Oh, and I do realize there is a buzz about Tom and Mary. I'm sorry to some people, that they will be making their leave next chapter. This does revolve around Jason Lee right? Well here you are! Chapter 3!**

The three descended upon the ruins of what was once an old town. Jason noticed an old metal sign on the ground, that read, "Welcome to Springvale." While his friends explored, he thought of the life that once thrived here. He looked at the ruins of a park, showing a swing still swaying back and forth, as if the ghosts of the children where still playing there. He noticed what was once probably a diner, where people ate their meals. Skeletons were strewn about, over the counter. Decaying cars, with people that tried to start the ignition, stayed the same place they were parked. Blistering heat didn't help out either. First impressions were everything, Springvale certainly left its impression. This place sent chills down Jason's spine. Washington D.C. is certainly a skeleton of the once proud city it used to be. Jason thought staying close to Mary and Tom would at least provide some degree of comfort. He walked toward them, but was then greeted by some strange metal ball-looking thing. Jason jumped, and expected it to attack, but it merely flew on by. It was playing a voice recording, and there seemed to be no way of communicating with it. A "President Eden" was mentioned. Jason merely ignored the thing. Jason found near what looked like a school, Tom staring at the distance, as if something was there.

"Jason! Mary! Come check this out!"

The two rushed over to see two small groups of people engaged in a shootout. One group was of two people, one in a grey old pre-war business suit, the other wearing leather clothing. They had some weird bovine beast of burden beside them. The other group was a couple of crazy looking people, adorned in armor made of things salvaged from the ruins. Jason, Tom, and Mary could only look in fear and awe at this sight. The people in armor seemed to overwhelm the other group, until they fell to the ground. The group of crazies them moved to their downed foes and beat them down with their weapons, even though they were already dead. The former vault dwellers were shocked at the brutality of this act. However, Tom was the only one smart enough to hide behind a rock, while Jason and Mary just stood there speechless.

"Guys! Get your asses over here before those people see you!"

It was too late however. The group of crazies started firing, while Jason and Mary ducked behind the rock with Tom.

"Damn it, couldn't you pick another rock to hide behind?! Now they're gonna find me too! Shit, here they come!"

Tom started to blindly fire his pistol from behind the rock. No way in hell did he want to go out there in the open.

"Damn it, just give me that thing!"

Jason took the pistol from Tom and came out from the cover of the rock. He didn't like to use guns; he preferred to get up close and personal with his fists. But even he knew when the time was to use his fists or a firearm. Jason flipped a switch on his Pip-Boy 3000 and activated his Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, or V.A.T.S. The Pip-Boy released a steady stream of adrenaline enhancing chemical stimulants. All his senses of perception were heightened, but most of all, his sight and hand-eye coordination. The rush of adrenaline increased the amount of frames per second his eyes could perceive, allowing time itself to appear slower. Hand-eye coordination was also increased, allowing even the shakiest person to be a crack-shot. Jason aimed for the head of a guy rushing at him with a pipe and quickly ended his life. Jason then aimed at the two remaining people still firing at them. A couple of headshots later and Jason terminated the V.A.T.S. mode. The process leaves a person with a big headache, makes them feel a bit drained. Jason fell to his knees immediately exhausted. Jason would have to train himself to get used to this. That's how the Vault-Tec security coped with this. Tom and Mary helped him up. Tom took his pistol from Jason and dragged him over to a ruined house.

"Jason, you realize how many times you got shot? You're freakin' crazy!"

Jason looked down and saw he had been shot about five times. Jason didn't feel anything during V.A.T.S., but it took its toll afterwards. The pain ignored in the adrenaline rush had to go somewhere, and it all happened at once the adrenaline stopped. At least Jason's security vest was still strapped to his vest, and prevented injury from getting worse. About two bullets penetrated his skin.

"Tom, Mary. Get my medical supplies from my backpack."

Jason tried performing his medical procedure on himself, while also walking Tom and Mary through to help him out. Soon, with a combination of stimpaks, and his pre-war medical supplies, Jason was able to get himself up, but he wasn't a professional doctor. He might need proper medical attention once he could get it. The three went over to the corpses of the fallen people. They tried scavenging equipment, including guns, clothing, and other supplies. Jason looked at the dead beast that lay by its master. It was an ugly two-headed creature, with an assortment of goods loaded on its back. He took what he needed and moved on. Jason noticed on the corpse of the businessman a sack full of what appeared to be bottle caps. Why someone would amass all these things Jason did not know. Perhaps they are of some value.

While Jason and Tom were collecting the spoils of battle, Mary was wandering around with nothing but a small six shooter from the shootout. She was wandering, looking for this "Megaton" settlement. She often felt like she was often the odd one out all her life, so she felt she needed to be independent. She tried being brave, but after what happened, she couldn't help but be afraid. She was always a timid girl in the first place. Mary wondered how her brother convinced her to help Jason out of the vault. Sure, she was grateful for him helping her brother, but this…this seemed like too much. However, with things as they were at the vault, either option seemed equally dangerous. She was walking, and heard several footsteps following her. She stood petrified. She looked around her to see where this was coming from.

Silence.

She was whimpering, and started to head back toward Jason and Tom. As she took her first step, she heard other steps following it. A low growling sound could be heard nearby and she started walking faster. More steps were following her, and were this time closer. She quickly shrieked and ran as fast as she could back to the group.

Meanwhile, Jason and Tom were done scavenging what they could from the ruins of suddenly, they heard a scream. Tom realized his sister was nowhere to be found.

"Mary? Mary!?"

Tom got no reply. Jason noticed Mary was missing too. The two followed the general direction of the screams. They then noticed Mary running, and she ran past them without saying anything. Tom and Jason looked at each other puzzled, and then realized why she was running. A small group of four-legged creatures were pursuing her. Tom immediately opened fire at the things, while Jason frantically tried to kick them. One of the things knocked Jason down and got on top of him. Jason looked in the beast's face as it growled, drool dripping down from its mouth. The thing barked at his face, and Jason closed his eyes. He heard a gunshot and a yelp, and the weight on his chest was removed. Jason opened his eyes and saw the animal on the ground dead. The rest of the things were running away with their tails between their legs. Jason took another look at the animal and recognized it as a dog. He had never seen a dog before, as animals were not allowed in the vault. He had heard about them before, but Mr. Brotch left out the fact that they were also vicious hunters. Jason and Tom saw Mary walking back slowly with her head down.

"I'm a coward… I can't do anything right…"

"Mary, what the hell are you talking about?"

Jason and Tom couldn't understand Mary's current dilemma right now. She's troubled by the fact that she wants to be independent, but can't succeed without help of others. This has been bothering her for a while, even before they left the vault.

"Mary, what's wrong? So you couldn't take down a pack of down dogs. Big deal. No shame in that, right Mary? Mary?"

Mary didn't respond to her brother, as she stayed silent.

"Screw this. C'mon Jason, let's go."

As Tom marched off, Jason went over to see what was up with Mary.

"Mary? Mind if I ask what's wrong?"

"I never can just do it. When I fall over, I can't just pick myself up. I need someone else to do it."

Jason felt he somewhat understood what was troubling Mary.

"Mary, listen. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you truly need it. If you fall over, sure you might need help. But that's what friends are for. We're here for you when you need us to lend a hand. When you ask for help, sometimes both of you can be stronger for it."

Mary appreciated Jason's little speech, but felt like she needed to be left alone momentarily.

"Thanks Jason. Listen, no offense or anything, but I don't feel like talking right now."

"Okay."

Tom looked over his shoulder to see his sister and Jason still standing.

"Come on! What's the holdup over there? Move your asses, c'mon!"

Jason was surprised at how harsh Tom was being right now. He was probably just frustrated from everything that's been happening. The trio then got it together, and headed for Megaton.

They eventually came across the huge wall of scrap metal that was what they assumed was the settlement of Megaton. They noticed a trader exiting the area, with another large two headed beast of burden alongside him. They noticed a robot by the gate of the city, and a sniper tower overhead. Jason wondered if the welcome wagon here was as "friendly" as that of those crazies back at Springvale. The robot, a Protectron class unit, greeted them.

"Welcome to Megaton partner! Friendliest town around!"

The robot was a bit creepy, but added a sign of reassurance. They went through the large gates. Inside the scrap metal gate was… well… more scrap metal. The entire town seemed to be constructed of salvaged material. Buildings were crowded, and stacked high on each other. A maze of walkways connected each level of the town.

"At least this town ain't as shitty as the rest of the wasteland," Tom remarked.

"Don't be talkin' about my town like that!" said a gruff voice.

The three turned their heads to see an old man wearing weird western clothing.

"The name's Lucas Simms and I'm the town sheriff. And mayor on occasion. Now what do we have here? A couple greenhorns out here in the wasteland?"

Simms noticed how unusually pale their skin was, as well as their weird jumpsuits, so he assumed they haven't been out here for long.

"Well no, we haven't. We've been here long enough to… 'mingle' with some of the other residents of this wasteland.," Tom said.

"Is that so? What kind of 'residents' you talking about?"

"Oh, you know. The crazies in armor who are a bunch of psychopaths looking to beat the living shit out of you. Those residents."

"Hmm… looks like you met up with the Raiders. They're a nuisance to everyone throughout the wasteland. They kill everything and everyone just for the sick pleasure. I'm actually surprised a couple of greenhorns like you were able to survive such an encounter."

Tom merely gave a grim nod toward Simms. Jason noticed a peculiar object in the distance behind Simms. I looked like… oh shit.

"Simms? What the hell is that I see in the distance?"

"That? Well, that's just the old atomic bomb. Nothing to worry about."

The three vault dwellers immediately stared at him.

"What? A bomb? Why the hell would you build a town around a freakin' bomb?!" Jason exclaimed.

"Well the town is named after it for starters. And those guys over the Church of Atom actually worship the damn thing. But we needed them to help get this town started. Plus, we don't know what will happen if we move it. It could accidentally detonate or something. But right now, it's perfectly safe."

"Are you sure it's safe?"

"Well… to tell the truth, not many people know that it's actually still active. But so long as no one messes with the damn thing, it won't cause no trouble."

"Have you ever thought about disarming the bomb? I might be able to help."

Tom, Mary, and Lucas Simms immediately turned their heads at Jason.

"Really? Well, if you could, there's 100 caps in it for you."

"Caps?"

"Damn! How long have you been out in the wastes?"

"Couple hours…"

"Hmm… well this is the wasteland currency. Ever since the war, most of the money's been burned up, so the wastelanders have had to try and use the next abundant thing they could find. So, we started using bottle caps in place of money.

"I've got normal cash. Will this work?"

Simms looked at the paper money with uncertainty.

"Sure, but that crap is probably worth a tenth of what it used to be."

Jason sighed. At least he was lucky enough to grab that dead merchant's caps. But he would need some money. A couple hundred caps were in his bag, but Jason didn't know how long it would last.

"How about I get 250 caps for disarming the bomb."

"This town isn't made of caps. But tell you what. Since I like you, I'll agree to pay your amount. No go on, shoo. Don't let me keep you now."

"Wait, Simms! Before you go, can you help me out with something? I'm looking for my dad. Middle aged white guy. Have you seen him?"

"Well, I did see a newcomer like you. He went over down by Moriarty's Saloon. I reckon you stop on by there."

"Thanks. Goodbye."

"Stay out of trouble, partner."

Jason looked to see Tom and Mary exploring the town already. He caught up with them, but saw Mary being pestered by a much older man in leather armor. He looked like some kind of hunter, judging from the rifle on his back. He turned toward Jason, briefly making eye contact.

"Either tell me what you want, or get the fuck out of my face."

Jason was taken aback by this man's rudeness. The old man turned his attention back to Mary.

"So baby, you're looking nice…"

He immediately grabbed her arm. She struggled herself free, and then slapped him.

"Ooh, frisky! I like that…"

Tom immediately stood in front of his sister to protect her.

"Hey! Back the fuck up man, or I beat the shit out of you! I don't need some wasteland asshole harassing my sister!"

The man gave a smug smile.

"Heh. Don't talk to me like that kid. You'll find that everybody is an asshole in these wastes. And be careful of who you mess with. You never know what might happen here, especially outside these walls."

"Leave them alone Jericho."

Everyone turned their heads to see Lucas Simms walking by. Jericho gave a sly grin.

"Sorry, sheriff. Somebody needs to teach this punk some manners."

He gave one last glare at Tom.

"Watch yourself. The wasteland can be a dangerous place. And I'm a dangerous guy…"

Jericho moved along, while Tom gave him the middle finger. Jason rushed over to the group.

"Dude! What the hell are you doing!? We've only been out in this hellhole for a couple hours, and we already have enemies?! Come on!"

"Hey! People need to know if they mess with my sister, they answer to me. Let's just keep going."

Tom marched off. He was only being protective of his sister, but with that attitude, he wouldn't last long.

After exploring the town, stocking up on supplies, healing up, and mingling with residents, including the friendly and eccentric Moira Brown, who is writing a wasteland survival book, the trio headed off into Moriarty's Saloon. Inside, it was as typical as any building in Megaton. The walls were rusting. Holes shined light through the roof. All seemed normal, but a certain atmosphere hung in the air, one that was common to bars, and other social hotspots. Jason looked around for his dad, but only found the patrons of the bar. He needed a drink. Jason, Tom, and Mary sat at the counter, and were greeted by some rotting zombie man.

"Hey smoothskin. What'll it be?"

Tom immediately jumped from his seat.

"Whoa, what the fuck?! What are you!?"

The man gave what looked like a look of annoyance.

"Ain't you ever seen a Ghoul before?"

"What the hell is a Ghoul?"

The rotting man sighed.

"Well, not all of us died when the bombs dropped. Some of us just got irradiated pretty badly. And somehow we just still live. However, the radiation eats away at our flesh. Our skin deteriorates. The end result is what you see now. As far as we can also tell, we Ghouls age less. Some of us are still alive since before the war."

Jason tried to say something before Tom say anything inappropriate.

"Hey, come on man. It doesn't look so bad."

The Ghoul gave a slight smirk.

"Thanks for the bullshit comment. But hey; bullshit comment is better than no comment right? You're not half bad kid. Good to see some worthwhile people around here. Hey, Moriarty might have my head for this, but I think I'll give you a discount. The name's Gob by the way."

"Thanks. You wouldn't happen to have wine would you?"

Gob pulled out a bottle of wine from the counter and poured some in a glass. For some reason, Jason developed an unusual taste for certain wines. He didn't drink a lot, but he had a swig here and there. He sometimes got some from Tom and Mary at the diner. Why a diner had wine was still beyond him. But right now, Jason felt like he needed it. It might add some sort of comfort or a bit of bravado at least.

Mary and Tom got up from their seats and left the bar without Jason. Perhaps they wanted to sightsee a bit more. As he continued sipping his drink, he noticed an old man with a heavy Irish accent talking to a woman, from the looks of it, a hooker. The man noticed Jason, and decided to walk over for a chat.

"Well, I don't believe I've seen you here lad. Welcome to Moriarty's Saloon. I'm Colin Moriarty, owner of this saloon, and mayor of this heap of a town. So be sure to treat me with respect. Now, if there's anything yeh need, just tell me. Or Gob. He handles the drinks."

"Moriarty, I'm looking for my father. I've been told he might have been here. Do you know anything?

Moriarty shot a glance at Jason. He stared at him for a while, until I looked like he came to a sudden realization.

"Jason? It's you! James's little man all grown up! Persistent little rascal ain't ya?"

"How do you… how do you know who I am? How do you know Dad? Who are you?!"

"Easy lad. I'm a friend of your fathers. I've known you since you were a wee one, I have. Sorry about your mum. 'Twas a shame about your mother. She was a fine lass."

"How the hell is that possible? Dad's been in the vault all his life! I've been born in the vault! How do you even know I exist?"

"That's what you're dad told yeh did he? Oh, the lies we tell to the ones we love."

"What are you saying?"

"You weren't born in the vault, lad. You actually believe in that 'we were born in the vault and die in the vault' bullcrap? Come now, James said you were smart."

Jason thought this was so much to take in. This kind of made some sense. Jason recalled the fact that the vault hasn't always been sealed. He recalled the information on the Overseer's computer. Jason would need to talk to his dad about this. But then, Moriarty mentioned James's name.

"Wait, you saw him?!"

"Aye lad. He came by here not too long ago. You missed him. I could tell you where he said he was going…"

"Where is he?!"

The man gave a sly smile. It was the kind of smile that made you want to punch them in the face, so they wouldn't be smiling anymore.

"Well Jason, I could tell yeh, but I can't seem to remember. Something's missing in my pockets… catch my drift, or do I have to spell it out for you?"

"Damn it, just tell me how much you want!"

"Come now, I thought you had manners lad. But since you ask, I think a hundred caps are in order…"

Jason took out 100 caps out of his bag and violently slammed them on the counter.

"Now where is he?"

"That wasn't so hard was it? Alright, I'll humor you. Your dad was here alright. He said something about Galaxy News Radio. I'd go over to their station. I'll mark it on your map. Be careful now."

Jason nodded, thanked Moriarty, and continued on, but before he left, Jason noticed a strange man in a sharp suit nearby. The man had constantly beckoned him, trying to get his attention. Something about this man was… unusual. Jason walked over to him to see what he wanted.

"Ah, yes. Just when I thought I had lost all hope. I am Mr. Burke. My good man, I have a proposition for you. Might you be interested?"

Something about this man just radiated with a cool disdain.

"Well, Mr. Burke. I am… Mr. Lee. What are you proposing?"

"Excellent. Finally, someone who can show more intelligence than a pile of Brahmin dung. Listen closely Mr. Lee. I represent certain… interests. My employers view this town as a blight on a burgeoning urban landscape. You have no interests here. No connections with this putrescent cesspool's affairs or fate. You can help us remove this little accident off the map. The undetonated Atomic bomb for which this town is named is still very much alive. All it needs is a little… motivation."

Jason noticed Burke choosing his words very carefully. Jason needed a moment to comprehend what Burke was asking of him. Oh dear god…

"You want me to blow up Megaton…?"

"Shhh… not so loud. Now listen. Don't think of it as blowing up a town of innocents. Sure, there will be an explosion, but think of it as… a cleanup job. A garbage burner so to speak. No injustice to that now is there?"

Jason tried choosing his words carefully as well. He was still not sure as to what this man was capable of.

"Your offer has piqued my interest. I'm listening, Mr. Burke."

Confidence swelled in Burke's grin.

"Good… good. Now pay attention. I have in my possession a fusion pulse charge specially designed to rig the bomb to explode. All you have to do is hook up the charge to the wire. That's all."

Jason felt like he needed to alert Lucas Simms about this. For now, he would have to lie and play along.

"Yes, Mr. Burke. Megaton shall be nothing but an irradiated crater!"

Jason took the pulse charge from Burke's hands. Just as soon as Jason's words left his mouth, Burke's smile disappeared, his look replaced with a more serious and uncertain look. Distrusting almost.

"Yes, well… don't let me down, Mr. Lee."

The tone of Mr. Burke's last words left some impression on him. As soon as Jason left the bar, he rushed over to find Lucas Simms.

"Sheriff Simms! Listen, there is a guy at the bar who wants to blow up the town!"

"What!? Who the hell wants to blow up Megaton?!"

"Sir, it's a man named Mr. Burke. He is in Moriarty's Saloon. He even gave me this fusion pulse charge to rig the bomb!"

"Jesus Christ! Gimme that thing! Come with me. You're about to learn a thing or two about wasteland justice. If this Mr. Burke thinks he can blow up my town, he is sadly mistaken!"

Jason and Simms raced over to the saloon. They stormed the saloon searching for Burke, but he was gone.

"Colin! Where's Mr. Burke?"

"So sorry, Sheriff. I'm afraid yeh missed the limey bastard. He left a minute ago."

"Damn!"

Simms turned to Jason.

"If that Burke shows his face around these parts again… Oh well. You did the right thing. Now you still going to disarm that bomb?"

"Yes, of course."

Simms walked out of the bar. Jason looked at a little piece of paper at the corner where Mr. Burke sat. He picked it up. It was a note.

"Dear Mr. Lee,

I knew from the very moment I gave you the pulse charge, that you were trying to deceive me. What? I am a skilled… businessman. I know when people tell truth and lie. You dare interfere with my plans? You will know better than to mess with me and my affiliates' operations. Mark my words: I will find you. You will regret it. By the time you are done reading this, I will be long gone from Megaton. We will strike, where you least expect it. You better start running soon.

Sincerely,

Mr. Burke"

Jason feared he had crossed with the wrong people. No matter, Jason felt that he needed to prepare for everything. However, the first thing Jason felt was appropriate to take care of was the bomb. Jason must make sure some crazy doesn't come in and blow up the town. He would need to disarm it. Jason headed for the large atomic bomb that lied at the center of the city. After fiddling with some components of the bomb, all it came down to was a couple of wires to cut.

"Red wire? Or blue? Damn it…"

Jason realized this next decision would determine the fate of Megaton, and himself. The pressure was on him now. He said a quick prayer, and then took his pliers and cut a wire. A few seconds passed, and nothing happened. He did it. Lucas Simms had been watching Jason's progress, and he congratulated him.

"Well now! You actually did it. The city of Megaton owes you its debts. You earned your reward. Hell, why don't you become a resident? You can move in that empty house up there. Here's your deed and key. Thanks for everything."

Jason took his caps, as well as the key, and a faded piece of parchment. At least he would have someplace to sleep. He went off to find Tom and Mary.

Little did Jason know, that someone else other than Simms was watching him. Mr. Burke looked at the corpse of the late town guard and holstered his silenced pistol. From the safety of the sniper tower, Burke examined his every movement. He watched him disable the bomb. He knows he did it.

"Damn. Tenpenny won't be happy about this. This 'Mr. Lee' will pay dearly for meddling with our plans."

Burke quickly ran out of the tower and out of Megaton, and Lucas Simms was none the wiser. Tenpenny wound not be pleased.

Jason briefly explored his house with his friends. It wasn't exactly Vault-Tec standards, but it was a home. After being greeted by Wadsworth, their Mister Handy robot with a British accent, the three went to bed after a hard day's work. There was a bunk bed, along with an old couch nearby to sleep on. They were dirty, but the three didn't care. They fell into bed and rested for the night.

**Meanwhile…**

"**So you see, this man disabled the bomb in Megaton."**

"**What? This is blasphemy! Who the bloody hell could have done this?"**

"**Yes, Mr. Tenpenny, I know you must be quite annoyed. From what I understand he is a Mr. Lee."**

"**Well… this Mr. Lee must pay with his life for interfering with our plans! This is most troublesome. How can we rebuild the wasteland with that filth right on our doorstep?"**

"**I'm sure we'll find an alternative, Mr. Tenpenny. As for Mr. Lee, I have hired someone to take care of him. Ah, here she comes now."**

"**Yes? You sent for me Mr. Burke?"**

"**Ah yes. Ma'am, you have been a valued asset of our… business for quite some time. Your skills as an assassin have proved yourself time and again. We have a special contract for you."**

"**Yes? What is it?"**

"**A certain man has interfered with our plans, so we must have him killed. However, I have a special request on how you kill him. Don't immediately kill him. First, intercept him. Spend time with this man. Follow him around. Eventually gain his trust. Seduce him even, do what you want. Then, after he feels comfortable around you, then you strike for the kill when he least expects it."**

"**Like a black widow luring prey into its web… I'll do it."**

"**Excellent. He is in Megaton. He is going to the Galaxy News Radio building. Intercept him. Get hi to trust you. How you do that is completely up to you."**

"**He won't know what hit him."**

**Author Notes: Well, that was a long one. Sorry if NPC speech is somewhat reused. Well hope you read and review.  
**


	4. Just Another Day in the Wastes

**Hello! Sorry this took me so long. So much crap happening in my life right now. Anyway, a couple thing I should mention right now. First, I'm introducing several OC's in this chapter. A few minor and one major. Plus, I also added something most don't have; Original Quests. It's not exactly a quest so to speak, more like a freeform quest, or mini encounter. Also, if you haven't already, be sure to read Fire Kunai's story, "Fallout 3: The Wayward Soldier." It's an excellent story, plus let's just say you might see a familiar face...**

Jason yawned as he woke up. He grabbed his glasses from a nearby counter and was expected to be greeted by his father. However, that wasn't the case.

"Good morning sir! I trust you slept well last night. I prepared you breakfast sir."

Jason saw a Mister Handy robot. Confused, Jason looked around him to see decaying, rusting walls, dirty mildewed furniture, and the warmth of the sun, cracking through a hole in the roof. Jason realized that this wasn't Vault 101. Memory flooded back to him now. He was in Megaton, in his house, sleeping on the couch. Jason sighed and took the breakfast his butler Wadsworth provided. A bowl of Sugar Bombs cereal, a glass of orange juice, and some eggs, though those didn't look like normal egg he ate from the vault. Jason took a bite of the eggs and immediately spit them out.

"Oh god! What the hell is this crap?!"

"I'm sorry sir. Did I cook your Mirelurk eggs inadequately?"

"What the hell's a Mirelurk? Never mind…"

Jason tried drinking the juice from his rather dirty glass and yet, it tasted somehow… different. It left a strange burning sensation that lingered in his body. Jason was shocked to realize that that was the radiation that was in his juice.

"Wadsworth, do you have any purified stuff? As in, not irradiated?"

"I'm sorry sir, but you'd be hard pressed to find non-irradiated food and drink. However, it is possible to find purified water somewhere in these lands. In fact, I just so happen to have condensation collectors. Would you care for a glass of water, sir?"

Jason nodded. Wadsworth gave him a glass of water to go with the rest of his meal. Jason thought that out here in the Wasteland, he would have to get used to eating irradiated food. You have to do what you can to survive. Jason went to a locker and got dressed out of his vault jumpsuit and vest, and got changed into more typical wasteland attire. His outfit was that of a Wasteland medic, a t-shirt and pair of greenish cargo pants stained in blood. He packed some supplies in his pouches and pockets, grabbed his backpack and headed out so he could find Tom and Mary. He opened his front door and was greeted by the intense heat of the sun. Jason felt like he needed to tough it out and get used to a lot of things. He walked toward the Brass Lantern, a local restaurant, and found them eating at the counter.

"C'mon guys, eat up. We've got a long day ahead of us!"

Tom glared at Jason for a moment and went back to eating.

"What's the matter? Aren't you guys gonna help me find my dad?"

"Fuck that! Listen man. You're my friend. We've known each other for a long time and always helped each other out. I mean, you saved my life for Christ's sake. But this is too much! Because between hostile animals, crazy psychopaths that kill everybody to pass the time, and stuff threatening my sister, I was better off back in Vault 101!"

"What are saying?"

"I'm not going! No way in hell am I going!"

"You know what Tom? Fuck you! After all we've been through, you're just ditching me now? Fuck you!"

"Fuck me? Fuck you Jason! I don't need this shit!"

Tom walked off in frustration while Mary looked off in surprise and shock. Jason felt ashamed. Already, only one day in the wasteland and Tom's gone crazy. Mary slowly approached Jason with her eyes not making contact with his face.

"I'm… I'm sorry you went through that. Tom's just a bit agitated. He's been frustrated ever since we left the vault. I'm sorry we can't help you find your dad. I have to stay with Tom, so he doesn't do anything drastic. I'm his only source of sanity at the moment. Do you know what I mean? Anyway, thanks for being a good friend of ours."

"I guess this is goodbye?"

Mary nodded. They gave each other one last hug before he left.

"Perhaps we'll see each other again?" Mary asked.

"Possibly. We'll see what the future holds. Goodbye Mary."

Jason marched to the large metal gate as Mary waved goodbye.

"God help us," Mary quietly said quietly as she went to find her brother.

Jason was on the outside once again. He looked on a map on his Pip-Boy to look for this Galaxy News Radio place. It was east of Megaton, so he headed out there. He once again looked in awe of the wasteland before him. Even though it was barren and dead, Jason felt he could see some inner beauty of the Wasteland. He was looking from atop a cliff overlooking a small ruined town. Just then, he heard several footsteps scurrying toward him. Jason turned around to see several freaky six legged things chasing him. On pure instinct, he ran. The things were scaly and creepy… he looked in his pockets for a gun, but realized that Tom and Mary kept the guns, so he was left with his brass knuckles. No way in hell he'd get near those things. They looked like some sort of bugs, and Jason was deathly scared of bugs. He had gotten used to Radroaches, but these things were a whole different league. Jason kept running from the things. He looked behind him, to see the bugs fighting some unusual animal. It had long whiskers, big long teeth, and was probably the ugliest son of a bitch he had ever seen. Jason utilized the opportunity of the beast's fighting, to pull out a frag grenade and kill 'em all. One explosion, and poof! No more bugs or animals. He walked cautiously toward the dead creatures. The animal was identified as a mole rat. Jason never knew mole rats could be so big… and vicious. The bugs were ants. Jason thought ants were supposed to be small. But when he saw a certain photo on the Overseer's terminal, it freaked him out. Jason quickly walked away toward the Galaxy News Radio station.

Soon, the blistering heat only got worse, and Jason could feel his pale skin burning under the ultraviolet rays. After about a couple hours of hiking, with the occasional animal attack, Raider assault, and wandering malfunctioning robot, Jason came across a particularly unusual man hiding behind a wall of sandbags. There was a tall building, which was probably once an office building stood nearby. The man hiding behind the sandbags and was in his thirties, had a dark brown military jacket, adorned in badges and medals, jeans, sunglasses, and most curious of all, had a fur hat, like that used by Russian and Chinese soldiers and citizens. On the hat, was a patch of a star, in the colors and stripes of the United Kingdom. Jason looked at him curiously, wondering who in the hell was he. The man saw Jason, and gestured him to get over here.

"'Ello mate! Who the bloody hell are you? Well, that don't matter. Get your ass over here!"

The man had a very gruff voice, and a British accent to top it off. Jason felt like he could humor him, so he got behind the sandbag wall.

"Come on lad, hurry up. Now listen: Me and my boys are going to assault this compound. Either help us or stay the hell out of our way."

"Who are you assaulting?"

"Them mercs at Talon Company. This is their headquarters. Those buggers have been a thorn in my side, as well as every other merc in this god forsaken hellhole."

"Talon Company? Who are they? What do you have against them?"

The British man gave a surprised, yet serious look.

"You don't know who Talon Company is, eh? Well, I'll tell you all you need to know about Talon Company. They're assholes who give mercs like us a bad name. That's it."

"What makes them so bad compared to other mercenaries?"

"Well, those guys just do every contract they're given, no exception. They'd kill a village of women and children for the right price. They're heartless, and no better than Raiders. Even a good merc has some morals and a conscious. Them? They'd kill they're best friend for a handful of caps."

"Jesus…"

"Yep. So you helpin' us or what? We'll give yeh a cut of the loot!"

Jason nodded. Even though he had somewhere to go, this seemed too interesting to ignore. Plus, he might need the extra caps and supplies.

"Who are you?" Jason asked.

"Me? Call me Scar."

"Scar? Is that your real name?"

Scar shook his head. He removed his sunglasses. He revealed his eyes, one eye was a normal blue eye, but the other was revealing a scar going straight through his other eye. His eye was white, with no color in it whatsoever, indicating the mark went through the cornea. It's a case you'd normally wear an eye patch for.

"Now you know. I had a normal name once. It's been so long since I've last heard it. You know, after having fought so many battles and killed as much as I have, names don't matter anymore, because you don't even know who you are anymore. So my men just call me Scar. At least it's a name you'll remember it quickly."

Jason nodded. How grim this man's existence must be.

"It ain't all so bad," Scar continued. "I got good friends, make good money, and it gives me somethin' to do. We're the Skirmishers! One of the best mercenary groups in the wasteland! In a bit, I'll introduce you to them. How about you? What's your story?"

"Well, I… I ran away from home to find my dad. He left home for some reason. I have to find out why. He wouldn't just leave for anything. This could b something big."

Scar nodded with attentiveness. He remained silent, until the rest of his Skirmishers arrived. Each wore similar brown jackets and hats. All of them, including Scar, had an old hunting rifle on their back, along with a second weapon of their choice.

"Well, lad… these are the Skirmishers. Get used to these guys. I'll introduce 'em to ya. This here's Elizabeth, my wife, and team scout."

A young woman raised her hand and identified herself as Elizabeth.

"This here's Roberts. He's our expert marksman and sniper. He don't talk much."

Scar pointed to a man in a balaclava holding a rifle in his hands. He looked at Scar, then turned his head and stared off into the horizon.

"Okay… this here's Jack Two-Fingers, our demolitions and explosives expert."

"Why do you call him Two-Fingers?"

Jack raised his left hand. He was missing his pinkie, ring finger, and middle finger, hence the name "Two-Fingers."

"Blew his bloody hand off in mine accident, he did. Oh, and in case yeh didn't notice, he might be clinically insane."

Jason noticed Jack was smiling and rocking himself back and forth, with the occasional mumbling to himself. He held on tightly to his rifle, practically hugging it. Jason wasn't sure combat was best suited for a man of his condition.

"Last but not last is good ol' Doc Roe. He's our medic. Saved of countless of times the bugger did."

Jason shook hands with the good doctor. He wore a fur hat like the others, but instead of a British star, it was a red cross symbol medics often bear. Jason felt like he might learn a thing or two hanging out with Roe. After getting acquainted, the group headed slowly toward the Talon Company base. Six guards in combat armor were patrolling the perimeter. Scar looked at Jason.

"Hey lad! You good with a rifle?"

"No, I'm not good actually."

Scar merely gave a cocky smirk.

"Well, not good is better than not at all, and not good is good enough for me. Here, take this."

Scar tossed a hunting rifle similar to the rest of the Skirmishers to Jason. It was old, and it seemed more of an artifact than a weapon. However, it could still fire, so that was a good sign. They headed off to the gate. Scar signaled hand gestures to his troops.

"Okay, on my command, we're gonna take 'em all down at once. Get ready. Aim. Fire!"

The group of Skirmishers fired their rifles immediately in perfect unison. Jason was only able to get a good shot by using V.A.T.S. With that, all the guards fell dead to the ground in perfect synchronization. Jason was no combat expert, but he could tell that that was a true act of teamwork, and training. They soon approached the door leading to the interior. Jack immediately blew the door open with a grenade. As they moved inside, several people, including a few guards and several businessmen, stood up shocked to see them.

"What are you doing her? Who are you?!" A businessman shouted.

"We're the Skirmishers! We're here to fuck shit up!" Scar shouted back. He shot his rifle at the businessman's chest and ended his life.

"Guards! Guards!" another shouted. He too was killed. Following the commotion, the main room was flooding with guards and other armed hostiles. A simple office building had become a war zone. They quickly tipped over tables and other stuff for cover from the rain of bullets flying. Amid the firefight, Scar fought like a true hardened soldier, Elizabeth would act cocky as if war was a sport, Roberts acted extremely calm as he patiently picked his shots, Jack would blindly fire while yelling and cursing at everyone, and Roe timidly fired his pistol behind a desk. Jason blindly fired his rifle from behind a table, but soon his gun jammed. He tried repairing it, but with the combination of him being fired upon, he doesn't have the patience, the gun sucks anyway, and he personally doesn't give a shit, he tossed the gun and quickly grabbed a sheet of metal lying on the ground. Jason slipped on his brass knuckles and used the metal as a shield from the bullet fire. He rushed recklessly toward the Talon Company mercs and rammed into them with his shield. Jason's shield was weakening, so he then threw it at a merc knocking him down. He then punched at the merc's faces, breaking their jaws, and cracking their skulls. At last, the mercenaries were dead, and Jason and the Skirmishers advanced around the building securing the area. Jason explored a hallway, and grabbed any supplies he could, including an old long barreled shotgun. It was in way better condition than the other rifles he'd seen. He loaded the shotgun and cocked it.

"Thug life!"

He soon was exploring until he was met up by a man in a suit. He ran up to Jason scared.

"God, please! I know you must be different from those other miscreants, but please don't kill me! I'm not even a merc! I just file out paperwork and contracts! Please!"

Jason gave a cold look. The man looked in disbelief.

"I made a promise to Scar to kill everyone in the building. You should have picked a safer work environment."

Jason pulled the trigger and the man fell dead on the ground. He first thought that this was just some other scumbag who deserved to die. But upon his death, Jason realized the atrocity he had committed. He didn't do it in self defense. This was murder. Cold-blooded murder. Jason looked at the gun in his hands, the body of the man, and back at his hands. He strapped the gun to his back and just tried not to think about it. Scar and Jack Two-Fingers came up to Jason.

"You know anything about explosives? Too bad, because you'll need to plant these C4 charges."

Jack tossed some charges in Jason's way. Giddy excitement was in Jack's eyes.

"Let's burn this motherfucker down!" Jack yelled out.

Jason nodded, but did it cautiously. He reluctantly took the charges. He didn't know a lot of stuff about explosives. All he could do was just rely on experiences he had with dealing with certain Vault-Tec technology. He went to several major support beams and hooked up the satchel charges to them. That should be enough to make the building collapse. Soon, he rushed out to meet the rest of the gang. He met Scar, Roberts, Elizabeth, Jack, and Doc Roe waiting.

"Got the charges planted, lad?"

Jason nodded. They went out to go detonate the charges, but a wounded Talon Company mercenary got up from the ground. He took a grenade, pulled the pin, and rushed toward the group. Then the grenade detonated.

"Bloody hell!"

Jason was knocked down from the shockwave of the blast, and besides a couple of scrapes and bruises here and there, he was mostly unhurt. However, not everyone was as lucky. Roe lay on the ground from the blast. His leg was blasted off from the explosion and shrapnel. Everyone else seemed unhurt for the most part.

"God… oh god, is it bad?" Roe asked.

"Well, you've lost your leg, and you're bleeding all over the place. I say you're as okay as you can be in this situation," Elizabeth said.

Roe didn't appreciate the joke and was on the ground in pain.

"Hold on man, I'm not letting go you go that easily!" Jason shouted.

He started operating. After 15 minutes of bloody and grueling operations, Roe was coughing up blood.

"Damn it, hang on just a little longer!" Jason yelled.

Scar decided he couldn't take this any longer.

"Roe, just don't fight it. Close your eyes. Relax, and just wait for the sweet silence of death."

Roe coughed a bit inhaled one last breath, and closed his eyes. A few somber minutes passed. Doc Roe was dead. Jason was shocked. He never had operated on someone and they died. It was… it was tragic really, even though he had just met Roe a couple hours ago. Jason was also shocked at why Scar let Roe die, even though his death was already imminent.

"Scar… why? Why would you give up and let him die like that?"

"Roe used to say that unless they are a skilled physician, a battlefield medic, more often than not, doesn't save lives. They just comfort you until you die. There was nothing you could do, mate."

Jason sat there. He thought about Roe's words. He sat in silence. As Jason looked on the fact his medical pursuits could be useless out here, Scar took several of Roe's things, including the medals on his jacket, dog tag, and rifle. Jason took up the courage to stand up. He felt like he could kind of understand the hidden meaning behind Roe's words. Scar then took Roe's hat and jacket. He tossed them over to Jason.

"Here lad, you're a Skirmisher now! Or at least a friend of us anyway. Consider yourself in good standing with us. Now let's get out of here and blow this building to the ground."

Everyone exited the building. Jack pulled out a remote detonator and pounded the button repeatedly. Then, a large explosion went off and they all celebrated. Elizabeth took out th champagne and wine.

"Yeah! Fuck you, Talon Company!"

After a celebration, and a couple swigs of alcohol, Jason soon had to depart.

"Goodbye guys. It was nice meeting you," Jason said rather uncertain if he meant it or not.

"Goodbye, lad. If you ever need anything, just ask. You'll know where to look for us when you find it. Goodbye."

Jason left and continued along his way to the Galaxy News Radio building in the D.C. ruins. He decided to learn a little more about this Three Dog character. Jason tuned his Pip-Boy in to the GNR signal.

"Hello Capital Wastelanders! This is Three Dog, bow wow! We've got a lot to cover today, just listen to this."

Jason listened to the radio for a while, quite enjoying it. The music, and Three Dog's ranting of a "Good Fight" was quite entertaining. He loved listening to the music on it, as he often listened to old records back in the Vault. But most of all, the radio made it feel as if Jason weren't alone. It can impact you a great psychological comfort, and in the wastes, this could mean the difference between sanity and insanity. After listening, Three Dog mentioned some interesting things.

"This is Three Dog, and you're listening to GNR! That's Galaxy News Radio, in case you forgot. Now this just in: You ever hear of that Vault 101? Well guess what? There's people still living inside it! How would I know? I recently got a visit from a guy named James, a real cool guy. Looks like he's out to help the wasteland or some shit. And interestingly, I got reports of a few other Vault dwellers leaving the Vault too. What the hell is going on down there? Rebellion? Out for fresh air? Did somebody fart? Your guess is as good as mine. More on this, and other stuff, after the break."

Jason couldn't believe what he just heard. This confirms it. James was at GNR. This fueled the hunt for his dad. Couple hours later, and he came across a long river, from what he remembered from the vault, as the Potomac River. Swimming across was out of the question, since he had never seen so much water. In fact, as green and irradiated as it was, it was still a sight to see all that sparkling water flowing. Jason's awe was interrupted as another strange creature headed toward him. All Jason could see was a big tough shell, and pincers. The creature rammed into Jason, causing him to stumble back a bit. A brief glance at the creature showed its small ugly face exposed beneath its shell. Jason tried to pull out a hunting rifle he got from the Skirmishers, but was quickly snapped in half by the creature's powerful claws. The thing then swung its pincers at Jason's neck. Surprisingly, Jason was able to intercept the blow, and caught the thing's pincers. It was a mere few inches from snapping his throat. Jason quickly tried to take advantage, and actually broke of one of its pincers. The creature gave a gurgling howl in pain, and Jason reacted quickly by stabbing the pincer into the creature's exposed face. It was shrieking and weird blood was everywhere. It ran around aimlessly, before stumbling and falling to the ground. Jason slowly approached it and found it to be dead. Jason looked and saw some meat on the thing that looked edible. He hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, so he decided now would be a good time. He took a chunk of sickly grey looking meat, and hesitantly took a bite. It's not all bad. It tasted like vault seafood, though it had been so long since he had some (Vault food is either frozen and preserved, or artificially made). Plus, don't forget the radiation. He finished his meal and noticed a clutch of eggs nearby.

"The mother was protecting its nest," Jason thought.

The eggs looked a lot like the eggs Wadsworth made for breakfast. Jason had no doubt that this is what a Mirelurk was. He treaded cautiously looking for a way across the river. Soon, the sun was setting, and an orange sky that blazed like fire had dawned. The outside was a truly a wondrous place. Following the river, he came across a lone tent in the middle of nowhere. Curious, he went over to see if anyone was there who could help give directions or supplies. He looked around one more time to see if anything was following him. He heard something being said inside.

"Damn it, when he sent us, he didn't say anything about any fuckin' Super Mutants!"

Jason went in the tent and saw two people. One was a man wearing a blue suit that looked like it had seen better days. He seemed like a mercenary. The other person was a woman around Jason's age in a green pre-war dress. They were each tied to a wooden post in the ground. They looked up, and were surprised to see him.

"Damn it, get us the hell out of here before they come back!" the man yelled.

"Who did this to you? Raiders? Talon Company?"

"No! The fuckin' Super Mutants!"

"What's a Super Mutant?"

The man was becoming very agitated, while the woman stayed calm, but showed a look of defeat.

"If you stand there like an idiot for about five more seconds, you're about to find out!"

Surely enough, Jason heard loud heavy footsteps approaching the tent entrance. A big hulking green thing stepped in. He looked humanoid, but something just didn't seem right about this thing, even for a Wasteland creature. The thing gave a grin, revealing its ugly brown teeth.

"Oh look! Dessert!"

The thing pulled out a minigun and opened fire. Jason dove out of the way, but the mercenary man was shot and killed in his place. The woman gave a slight shriek, and Jason pulled out his long barreled shotgun, and fired upon the beast's head.

"Ow! Head hurt!"

The Super Mutant held his head, as if it was a mere headache. If a headshot didn't kill this thing, what did? Jason didn't know, but fired at the thing's head again anyway. A shot or two later, and the Mutant fell to the ground. He quickly untied the woman, and thy headed out, but before they left, Jason noticed the minigun the monster was holding.

"Freakin' sweet!"

Jason picked up the massive big gun. It was a shame he couldn't pack it in his backpack. As he and the woman got out, they saw a few more Super Mutants marching toward them. Jason immediately unloaded all he could on the minigun. Soon, each mutie was falling down to the ground one by one. The expression was true; the bigger they are, the harder they fall. However, Jason was smacked to the ground by a Super Mutant armed with a wooden board. Jason was on the ground while the abomination laughed.

"Hah! I will eat your arms when you are dead, human!"

As the thing raised his board to strike Jason, he heard a gunshot, and blood was gushing between the Mutant's eyes. It fell dead to the ground, almost flattening Jason.

"Where the hell did that come from?"

Jason found his answer. The woman he saved was carrying an old rifle from one of the downed Super Mutants.

"Nice shot!" Jason exclaimed.

The woman gave a slight triumphant grin. The two continued to gun down any surviving Mutants, and eventually escaped to a bridge leading to the ruins of downtown D.C. After finding that the coast was clear, Jason looked at the woman he liberated, and wondered who she is. She was a Caucasian woman his age, no older than 24. She wore a pristine green pre-war dress, with a yellow sash, and matching heels. She had light brown frazzled hair, and hazel eyes. But who was she?

"If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?" Jason said politely.

"My name? It's… it's Tatyana. But people call me Tanya. Who are you?"

"Me? I'm Jason. Jason Lee."

The woman looked nodded, but looked like she was trying to hold back some sort of emotion. Surprise maybe? It didn't really matter at the moment. Jason needed to go to Galaxy News Radio. As he bid farewell to the woman, she unexpectedly grabbed Jason's arm, causing him to halt.

"Please! Don't go! Can I come with you? I have no place else to go to!"

Jason looked curiously at her.

"Are…are you sure? It's well… dangerous out in these parts…"

Jason felt like he didn't want to put this woman in unnecessary danger, but there was something about her… he couldn't describe it. It's like she has something hidden behind her beautiful exterior. It could be nothing, but just seems lingering. It could be something he would not want accompanying him. Jason just shrugged it off.

"Listen, I can defend myself. You saw how good of a shot I am right? Please… all I'm saying is that I don't want to be alone out here."

Something in his mind said, "How can you say no? Can you blame her? Besides, she's kind of cute!" Jason couldn't believe what just happened. Did he just think that? A feeling like that was something that could prove a liability in his mission. He would need to find her home, or some place for him to leave her.

"Do you have a home?"

"No… I'm just a wanderer. I just go from place to place to find a living."

"Damn… well I guess I'm stuck with you. C'mon, let's go. I've got to get to the GNR building."

The woman nodded, and happiness was definitely showing in her expression. It's weird how she can be a bit girly, and still be skilled with a gun. Soon, night had fallen, and hundreds of lights and stars dotted the sky. Of all the things he had seen while in the outside, the night sky was truly the most beautiful sight to behold. It can make a person feel very small. Jason would have stayed and looked for hours, had he not had a mission to get to. The Capital Wasteland was nothing short of beautiful disaster. After killing any Mirelurks, Super Mutants, and other local wildlife, Jason and Tanya finally got to a clearing. Two Super Mutants stood in their way. Jason rushed up to one, with his brass knuckles in hand, and fought it until it fell to the ground. The other Mutant was about to strike, but then a strange yellow beam of light flew by, and hit the thing in the thing. The Mutant then was disintegrated, and fell, turning into a big pile of ash. What the hell? Jason looked to see if that was Tanya, who merely just shrugged not knowing what happened. Then where did it come from?

"Hey! Wastelander! What are you doing in this area?"

They turned to see a group of people clad in thick metal armor, commonly used by the U.S. Army before the Great War. They were armed to the teeth, with assault rifles and high tech laser weaponry. Their leader came forward, a young woman with blonde hair.

"I must say, I've never seen a Wastelander brave enough to take down a Super Mutant with their fists. Not even a Paladin would come close to one."

"I'm sorry, who the hell are you?" Jason asked.

"I'm Sarah Lyons of the Lyons Pride; the most elite unit of the Brotherhood of Steel."

"What's the Brotherhood of Steel?"

"All you need to know at the moment is that we help Wastelanders like you get out of situations like this."

She spoke her words with pride, but stayed strictly professional.

"I need to get into the Galaxy News Radio building."

"Hmm… it seems we have a common goal. Tag along if you wish, but just stay out of our way."

Jason armed himself with his long barreled shotgun, and joined up with the rest of Lyon's team. A fierce firefight ensued, much, much larger than the firefight between the Skirmishers and Talon Company. While Jason occasionally lent a hand, he merely stood back watching the Brotherhood and Mutants have at it. The moonlit war was certainly a sight to see. After fighting past the ruins, the group went to a large plaza, with the GNR building straight ahead. Brotherhood members were at the building defending the entrance, while Lyon's group ambushed the remaining Super Mutants. The soldiers celebrated. One of the initiates started to fire her gun into the air.

"Cut it out, Reddin! You're just wasting ammo!"

"Sorry Vargas. I'm just celebrating."

"Listen, just go scout over to there, and if no Muties are there, then we celebrate."

"Now you're talking!"

Reddin ran over to several ruined buses and debris. Soon, loud, booming footsteps were heard. A Brotherhood scout in recon armor could be seen running from behind the wreckage.

"Get the hell out of here! It's a Behemoth!"

"A Behemoth?" Jason thought. This couldn't be good.

Sure enough, a huge explosion erupted from the wrecked vehicles, killing Reddin and the other Brotherhood scout. From the smoke of the explosion came a massive silhouette and revealed itself. A Super Mutant well over 30 feet tall busted out and was swinging a massive fire hydrant connected to a large piping. It wore skulls and heads on its chest like badges and trophies. The Brotherhood of Steel was no match for such a creature. Tanya shrieked and ran toward the building, hiding behind a wall of sandbags. Everyone either hid, ran for their lives, or foolishly tried to shoot at it. Amidst the confusion and chaos, Jason noticed a Brotherhood soldier armed with some sort of rocket launcher. He aimed it at the Behemoth, only to be crushed by its massive weapon.

"Someone grab the Fat Man!" Sarah Lyons shouted.

Jason assumed the Fat Man was that dead soldier's weapon. He quickly ran to the body, while the Behemoth was distracted. Jason faced the creature and the Mutant dashed toward him. Jason armed it with a mini nuke, said a prayer as he activated the launcher. The nuke flew into the creature's head, and blew an irradiated crater in the Behemoth's skull. Jason looked dumbfounded. Did he just do that? Everyone cheered and celebrated while Jason stood there. He collected his composure and strapped the Fat Man to his chest. Everyone congratulated him.

"Well, Wastelander… I guess I might have misjudged you. I'd stay and chat, but I have a report to file out back at the Citadel. Three Dog's inside the Building if you need to speak to him. Until next time Outsider…" Sarah Lyons said. She gathered her team, and headed out. It was time for Jason to finally meet Three Dog. Tanya caught up with Jason and they headed inside. A Brotherhood Knight escorted them up a flight of stair, and soon, there he was.

"Hey there. I hear you're responsible for saving this place. In case you don't already know, I'm Three Dog."

Jason was tired, and half asleep, but recognized that voice immediately.

"Holy shit! Its you! The guy on the radio!"

Three Dog gave a friendly grin.

"Yeah. Guilty as charged. You look like shit right now. Maybe you should hit the hay, you know? Come on…"

Jason didn't argue with him. Three Dog lead Jason to a spare bed, where he immediately collapsed upon. What a day. He lost one of his best friends, took down the headquarters of a large mercenary corporation, mingled with the local fauna, librated a girl from a Super Mutant camp, and killed a 30 foot Super Mutant Behemoth. Just another day in the Wasteland…

**Later that night…**

"**I made contact with him."**

"**Excellent. You know what to do."**

"**Roger."**

**Author Notes: Hope you like it. While the Skirmishers can be a little badass, they mostly were there just to make things more interesting, and comic relief. They will have an appearance later on. More OC's are on the way too. Please read and review and tell me what you think!  
**


	5. Family Ties

**I updated a little faster than I expected. Now, this chapter is relatively short, mainly just a filler chapter, but some important developments do go down. When you're done reading, go and read Fallout 3: The Twilight Saint, by MysticGohan88 and Fallout 3: The Wayward Soldier, by Fire Kunai. **

**P.S. From here on out, spell Jason's last name as "Lee." You'll see why soon enough.  
**

Jason slowly opened his eyes, and saw a blurry figure standing before him. He grabbed his reading glasses to help focus his eyes, and saw Tanya kneeling close by him… a little too close for him. He was freaked out at first.

"Tanya? What the hell are doing?"

"Oh, nothing… just watching you sleep. You sleep quite soundly, don't you?"

"Okay… Tanya, do you… never mind."

Jason got off of the mattress on the ground and stretched a bit before hearing another familiar voice.

"Good to see you up and alive again."

Jason turned to see the charismatic Three Dog standing before him.

"So, you must be Three Dog. I haven't properly introduced myself. My name is-"

"Yeah, Jason Lee. You're dad told me already."

"How the hell did you know he was my dad?"

"C'mon! Even though you look like a commie, I'm smart enough to see the resemblance."

Jason winced at the word, "commie." He was often prejudiced by people in the vault for being Chinese, especially Butch and his gang. He as if he knew what it felt like for Japanese and German Americans during World War II.

"Listen, just tell me where my dad is, okay? I need to find him as soon as possible."

"Hey, what's the rush? Here, take a seat, grab a bite to eat, whatever!"

Jason grudgingly took a seat by a table. Some weird bowl of soup was steaming by the counter. Jason took it and began eating. He tasted some sort of meat, along with something else… hair?

"What the hell am I eating?"

"Squirrel stew. Some of the best you'll find this side of the wasteland."

Jason gagged a bit, but ate the stew anyway. He didn't want to seem rude, plus he was hungry anyway.

"So you want to find the location of your dad huh?"

Jason nodded and immediately paid full attention to Three Dog's next words.

"Now, all I ask is that you help me fight my Good Fight."

"You want me to help you with your radio propaganda and speeches?

"I'm surprised you already get the idea of the Good Fight. But don't call my stuff 'propaganda.' This ain't Enclave Radio. Now some of the Super Mutants roaming around decided it would b fun to shoot at the shiny round thing at the top of the Washington Monument."

"You mean the broadcast dish?"

"Bingo. I need you to find me another dish to replace it with. My old dish has been turned to Swiss cheese, and the equipment I got only broadcasts if you're in the neighborhood."

"Finding a dish might hard out in the wasteland…"

"Hey, don't lose all hope man. I actually know where to get a dish. Go to that old Museum of Technology. It's on the old Virgo II Lunar Lander."

"Let me guess… you can't get to it because more of those god damn Mutants made camp out there."

"You are smart… just like Dad said you were."

"Okay… I'll go."

"Great."

Jason picked up his shotgun, and the rest of his gear along, with Tanya still following him around like some lost puppy. Jason came out through a back entrance, and saw more ruins of former Downtown D.C. He climbed down a ledge, went onto the rubble below, and peered down to the lower area below him. Jason noticed three strange creatures. They stood on two legs and looked human… but were changed… more so than Gob back in Megaton.

"Are those… Ghouls?" Jason asked, still unsure.

"Well, those technically are Ghouls. But those are Feral Ghouls," Tanya mentioned.

"What's the difference?"

"You're about to find out."

One of the things saw Jason and Tanya, and it alerted the others. The monsters quickly dashed toward them, until they were able to put a bullet in their brains.

"What the hell!?" Jason yelled.

"People always say that Ghouls are just a bunch of mindless zombies. However, the guys _are _actually mindless zombies. They've been irradiated so much, they've lost their ability to reason."

"Jesus…"

They quickly entered through an old collapsed car tunnel, one that would supposedly lead to the center of Downtown D.C., where the Washington Monument and Museum of Technology were. Along the way, Jason tuned back in to the Galaxy News Radio station, where Three Dog said some specific words of the past events.

"Hello there, children! I'm Three Dog! We've got a lot goin' down in post-apocolyptia these days, just listen to this: Remember that guy James from Vault 101? Well guess who paid Three Dog a visit! Another dweller from Vault 101! But wait! It gets better… turns out that this guy, is James's son! I know, I know! You can't make this shit up! The kid's name is Jason. He came out of the vault because he's looking for his dad. So James, if you're listening to this, your kid's out here. He misses you. Well thanks for listening children. Stay tuned and find out more, but now, some music."

Jason grinned at the words. He could be famous in the Capital Wasteland. People might know who he is. But that has its ups and downs. After fighting their way through the Mutant and Raider infested tunnel, the made their way to the surface. And there it was. The tall Washington Monument stood tall and proud, despite the damage it succumbed over the years. Brotherhood Knights and Paladins were engaged in an intense firefight. Jason and Tanya ran past the conflict from the trenches, and made their way to the Museum of Technology. Jason looked inside, and although the place was in shambles, it was still remarkable to see all the history this held. Jason noticed cases and exhibits holding weapons were broken into. He soon found where those weapons went… in the hands of the Super Mutants using them to fire on Jason. He quickly ducked out of the way, while Tanya used her own rifle on them. Jason watched as he looked at her with her deadly efficiency. She certainly was something. After clearing the area, Jason looked for the dish on the Lunar Lander. Soon, he found it, but it was guarded by a turret and a couple Super Mutants. He eyed a terminal on the wall and quickly tried to hack it.

"What the hell are you doing?" Tanya asked.

"Just watch… I have an idea."

After hacking the terminal with his superior science and technology skills, Jason logged in. He adjusted several security functions, including the turrets. Soon enough, the turret turned to the Mutants and eradicated them violently. Then, the turret shut down.

"Man, you're good…" Tanya complimented.

Jason simply nodded and went to the Lunar Lander and pried off the dish. They got out and went to the Washington Monument. They were greeted by two Brotherhood of Steel soldiers before heading inside. As Jason and Tanya waited the long wait in the elevator, Jason couldn't help but feel awkward around Tanya. He often took glances at her, not because she was attractive, but because he was simply curious of her. He knew barely anything of her. But whenever he was caught looking at her, she gave a mischievous smile that would melt any man's heart, but Jason didn't like it one bit. He impatiently tapped his foot waiting to go to the top level. When the doors opened, Jason saw a view unlike any other from holes and gaps in the wall. The Capital Building over there, the Lincoln Memorial over there… it was stunning really. Jason felt like he needed to be less distracted at the wonders of the outside world and get to the task at hand. He found the space where the old radio equipment sat. Repairing and replacing the old equipment was relatively easy, considering his years of maintenance and technical training. The dish was fixed. When he went back to the elevator and it descended down, Jason could say without exaggeration, that he could've made this moving metal box move faster. Jason and Tanya made their way back to the GNR building.

"Well holy shit! You did it! We're broadcasting throughout the Wasteland!" Three Dog said excitedly, as he tested some equipment.

"Hey, anything to help fight the Good Fight," Jason said.

"Alright, let's cut the bullshit. Yeah, James was here alright, and he went to Rivet City. He mentioned a Doctor Madison Li. Also said somethin' about Project Purity. I don't know what it is, but it sounds important. Maybe he's out to save the world. Anyway, here's a photo of Li, and directions to Rivet City."

Three Dog uploaded them to Jason's Pip-Boy. As he looked at the photo of Doctor Li, Jason felt some reaction. She seems… recognizable… He never saw this woman in his life, but something about her was so… familiar? Jason shrugged it off. Maybe he'd have to ask her himself. Jason marched off to Rivet City, while Three Dog continued his rants on the radio.

"Hello Capital Wasteland! This is Three Dog, broadcasting in crystal clear sound everywhere! All thanks, to that kid from Vault 101! Now, our top story…"

The hike to Rivet City would be a long one. Jason and Tanya often made stops to make camp and eat. Jason relatively kept to himself, while Tanya often listened to the radio on Jason's Pip-Boy, or tried to start a conversation, so it wouldn't b just the awkward silence.

"Tell me. Why did your dad run out on you?" Tanya asked. Jason couldn't help but feel she was prying, but he answered anyway.

"Well, I don't know really. We had everything we needed back in Vault 101… but why he would throw that all away and come out here is still a mystery to me. I swear to god, this 'Purity Project' thing better be some real important shit."

"Don't worry… I'm sure he has his reasons. What's it like living in a Vault all your life?"

"Well… I don't know what to say. I've had nothing to compare it to for the last 19 years. I guess it's a utopia of some sorts. For you Wastelanders anyway. Everything you could ask for was there; food, water, medicine, clothing, education… I probably would've stayed, had the Overseer not tried to kill me."

"Who's the Overseer? Is he God or something?"

"I'd rather not talk about it…"

A period of silence was taking place, minus the radio music.

"How about you? What's your life story?" Jason asked. Now is as good a time as ever to ask.

"Me? Well… I guess I've been destined to be an orphan all my life."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when I was a baby, my parents were killed by Raiders. Some of those Raiders actually were nice enough and took me in as one of their own. So I lived with them of most of my life, and that's how I learned how to fire a gun. Soon, my Raider family was gunned down by these bounty hunter guys. They must've killed someone with connections. I don't know. Anyway, they saw me and spared me for some reason. Am I just impossible to kill? Maybe they thought I wasn't like those others? I tagged along with them for a while, until they were killed by some Super Mutants. So for the last four years, I spent my time alone. As an orphan. But hey! I'm 21 and I'm still alive aren't I?"

Jason nodded, and was surprised at how okay and uncaring she felt about this bit of her past. He never would've guessed she was a Raider… mainly because she didn't style her hair in a crappy fashion like Raiders did. And her green dress.

"Who was that other guy back at the Super Mutant camp the other day?" Jason asked, remembering the merc in the blue suit.

"Him? I don't know. Just met him there. He was tied up when got there."

Jason wasn't convinced, but was tired of this idle chit-chat. They continued on, until they found platforms leading to the old rusting ship that was Rivet City. The ship was massive. It looked like an aircraft carrier from WWII. Jason merely stood gazing at the structure, before he was startled by a voice on an intercom.

"Welcome to Rivet City. Please hold on while we extend the bridge."

A long bridge extended out, and though it looked very rickety, it looked stable enough to walk on. He walked across and was greeted by a couple of people that Jason assumed were security personnel. A middle aged man with brown hair came up to Jason.

"Hello. Welcome to Rivet City. Before I let you in, can you tell me what your business is in Rivet City?"

Jason thought that he shouldn't say what he was really here for, just as a precaution.

"I'm a trader. I'm looking to trade some goods and maybe rest up here for the night."

"Hmm… alright. You can come in. Don't cause any trouble now, or I'll me and my officers will be authorized to use deadly force. Understood?"

"Yeah."

"Good. I'm Harkness by the way. Let me or a security officer know if you see anything suspicious."

Jason opened a metal door, and was greeted by the smell of the foul air inside the boat. At least it wasn't as bad as the outside. He looked around him. A trader's market was in this area. Jason felt he could use some supplies, as well as a bit to eat. He went from store to store. He bought a new set of spiked knuckles and a repair for his shotgun from the aptly named Flak and Shrapnel store. Jason got a new white lab coat from Bannon at Potomac Attire. It made him feel more like a real doctor. He even got a little name tag that said "Dr. Lee." Bannon joked at how that might make the "real" Doctor Li jealous. He got a quick bit to eat while he mingled and got to know some of the residents. Rivet City was an excellent change of pace for Jason. It was like the vault all over again. Metal walls surrounding you, the social atmosphere, and lots of people everywhere. Plus, no awkward silence. He made his way to the Science labs, while Tanya stayed at the local Muddy Rudder bar. Soon, he first saw a man in a dark blue business suit arguing with a woman, a scientist from the looks of it. A few heated words later, she stormed off in frustration. Jason tried to speak to her.

"Excuse me, I…"

"Oh, it's Zimmer this and robot that! Ugh! ...I'm sorry for the outburst. That man has been most unpleasant recently. He's been harassing our scientists for a while now. Anyway, what do you need?"

"I'm looking for a Doctor Li. Have you seen her?"

"Doctor Li? I'm sorry, but she's terribly busy right now. You can't speak to her at the moment. She's in a bad mood."

"Please. It's urgent."

"Fine. I won't be the one getting and earful. She's over there."

Jason slowly approached her. Doctor Li was working on a terminal taking notes. He tapped her on her shoulder.

"Um, excuse me? Doctor Li?"

She turned around, showing she was greatly annoyed.

"How many times do I have to tell Harkness to not let civilians into the… Oh my god… it's you… Jason! Is that you? Of course it is!"

Jason stood shocked.

"Do I know you? Who… are you? How do you know my name?"

"Well… let's just say I helped name you."

"What?!"

Doctor Li eyed Jason's name tag on his lab coat..

"Oh, and your last name is spelled L-I, not L-E-E."

Jason stood flabbergasted.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I am Doctor Madison Li. Scientist, and council member for Rivet City. And I am your mother."

"What?!"


	6. Unveiling the Past

**Alright! New Update! Thanks everybody for reviews. I surprised you with that last bit didn't I? Bet you didn't see that coming. Looks like I've got some explaining to do... Not to worry! I've got everything all settled out... **

Jason stood completely shocked. Madison Li stood with complete calmness, while Jason flipped out.

"What? No… that can't be! I don't understand. Aren't you supposed to be dead?!"

"Hmph. Is that what James told you?"

"Oh my god! What the hell?! If you're my mom, who's Catherine Lee?"

"Hmm… I guess he told you mere lies about me, because he wanted to leave the past behind him."

"Everything I know about my mom is a lie?!"

"Depends… he might have told you everything, except for my name and the fact that I'm alive…"

"Oh my god! Why? Why would he lie to me?!"

Doctor Li wrapped her arms around him, in an effort to calm him down. His hysteria was soon calmed, she let him go and she continued.

"Jason… What are you doing here? James said he left you in the vault."

"I… I came to look for him."

"Why would you leave the vault?"

"I just told you. Besides, I was sort of kicked out. The Overseer didn't take to kindly toward people who leave the vault."

"I see…"

"Doctor Li-"

"Please. Call me Mom."

"I'm sorry. No offense, 'Mom,' but I've had a living mother for barely about five minutes."

A look of discomfort and shame marred Doctor Li's face.

"I'm sorry. Please continue."

"Now, _Doctor Li_, did my Dad come through here or not?"

"Ah yes… James. He was here alright. He came in as if he hadn't abandoned us about two decades ago. He left Project Purity behind… for you."

"What is this Project Purity?"

Doctor Li took a deep sigh and thought back on the things she was about to tell Jason.

"Project Purity. It was all a simple idea really. Yet it seemed so impossible. Clean water for everyone. I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him that thirsts."

"Revelation 21:6," Jason remembered. Dad always talked about that back in the vault.

"Yes. I suppose James didn't completely lie to you… Everything in Project Purity seemed like it was within our reach… until you were born."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Following your birth, things were complicated. James and I soon found ourselves caught up in taking care of you instead of the Project. I wanted to keep my dedication to help everyone, but you were something of a distraction. James however, was dedicated in helping take care of you. Soon, we started having petty squabbles over you. One day, he suggested I come with him to a vault. Vault 101 to be exact. I told him no, and we should be concentrating on the purifier. So eventually… he simply left Project Purity... and took you with him. I didn't follow him, because I thought we didn't need him to finish the Project. However, I was sadly mistaken. Soon, things started to deteriorate. Eventually, we gave up Project Purity altogether. And now, James comes along looking to start it up again. And when I said no, he went to the Jefferson Memorial by himself."

Those were probably the most powerful four minutes of Jason's life.

"Why didn't you go? Did you not love me or something?"

"Of course I loved you. How can you even say that? But Jason, you have to understand; I had to make a choice. It was either you, or the hundreds of people of the Wasteland, and the hundreds of others after them. Both options were an impossible choice. Neither one seemed wrong to me, but neither one seemed right either. So I went with Project Purity."

Jason stood speechless. He merely did not know what to say. He learned the truth of his family and the history of his parents, James Mathews and Madison Li. And how he, Jason Li, fit into this. Was he Jason Li or Jason Lee? He decided he would stick with his old name. But he merely stood, his speech cloaked by silence. What would you say in a situation like this (rhetorical question)?

"I realize that this must be a lot to take in right now. I'm sorry."

"No… don't be sorry. I… needed to hear that… My dad's at the Jefferson Memorial?"

"Yes. It was foolish for him to go alone. I fear something may have happened to him."

"Don't worry. One way or another, I'll find him."

A tear drop fell from Doctor Li's face. She gave a weak smile before turning away from him.

"Please, if you find him… tell him I'm sorry. For you. For the Project. For not trusting him. Everything."

Jason gave a nod and started to head off.

"Oh and… Mom… I forgive you."

The road to the Jefferson Memorial was very close. It was of typical memorial structure and design; a domed building with columns and a once beautiful architecture. He didn't let any Super Mutants get in the way of his objective. Jason was given a sense of renewed confidence and honor of some sorts. His new confidence was noticeable, as Tanya soon found out while traveling with him. Jason felt like his hand to hand combat has improved, not because of his several issues of Pugilism Illustrated, but his new determination. Sometimes, you don't even need a gun. All you need is an iron fist, and courage. That is what all the unfortunate Super Mutants learned that day. Determination guided him, as he broke their limbs, and crushed their skulls. Tanya didn't even need to fire her rifle most of the time. She stood back, while Jason fought like a true warrior. Soon, following the Super Mutant massacre, Jason made his way to the central rotunda of the Jefferson Memorial. Various machines and computers surrounded the flooded figure of Thomas Jefferson. Jason found several holotapes, in addition to ones he already found while exploring every nook and cranny for his father. Jason looked at James's personal journals he recorded in recent past. Jason listened to all of them to make some sense of them.

"_It has been 20 years since my last entry, and though Vault 101 wasn't perfect, it was safe. I'm actually quite proud of Jason. He does so much in his medical pursuits, as well as his current responsibilities as a Technical Specialist. If only I could complete my personal agendas along with work as well as Jason could. He's grown up now. He doesn't need old Dad to hold him back now. He doesn't need me. However, I feel I need to make amends for the past, and go back to Project Purity. And here I am. Can't say it feels good to be back in these walls again, but I need to begin this experiment immediately."_

"_After starting some of the equipment up, I realize that I need assistance powering the mainframe. If only Jason were here… However, someone may be able to help me, but I doubt she is willing to help me again after our last encounter. Pray to god she'll find a new resolution upon our next meeting."_

"_As I suspected, Madison thinks I'm mad. I can hardly blame her. After almost two decades, I see someone coming up wanting to start things over, I'd think their mad too. I can't help but feel like I need her. Not to help me start up the mainframe, but for old times sake. She is the mother of my child after all. But she is still infuriated with me. She promptly asked me to leave, though I feel regret for what happened in the past. This will be harder than I thought."_

"_After hacking Alphonse's terminal, I found a certain name of interest; Doctor Stanislaus Braun. He is the sorcerer scientist for Vault-Tec. They call him that because it's as if his intelligence and ideas work like magic. If we could have a fraction of Braun's genius, there's no telling what benefits could come out of it. However, an even greater treasure was the G.E.C.K., or Garden of Eden Creation Kit."_

"_The G.E.C.K. is nothing short of a miracle. A terraforming module able to create life from pure lifelessness! They were intended for use by Vault-Tec as a way of recreating pre-war life. They were distributed to several vaults; sadly, Vault 101 was not on that list. Doctor Stanislaus Braun himself was on the reservation list for a Vault 112, a vault northwest of here…"_

"_My objective is clear. I must go to Vault 112 and retrieve the G.E.C.K. to get the purifier up and running again. Project Purity is an eternity of 'almost theres.' Doctor Braun, and Vault 112 may have the final piece of the puzzle I need. The waters of life are becoming that much more of a possibility…"_

Jason now knew what to do. His mission was clear. He too, must go to Vault 112. He and Tanya headed west. Hours had past, and the midnight blue sky was shining above them. It was getting late, and soon, they had to make camp. Jason didn't bring any tents or anything; just a couple sleeping bags. Jason found a large indent on a rock formation, so that seemed as good as any place to make a shelter. Tanya set things up for camp, while Jason looked for some firewood. While trying to cut down a shriveled black tree, he heard a scream. Jason rushed back to the camp to see Tanya being beset by more Wasteland creatures. However, Jason never seen such animals. They were large hairy beasts with sharpened fangs, sharp claws, and white eyes that make it seem as if it was some possessed thing. There were two of them. One of them rammed Tanya to the ground and was on top of her, growling and roaring at her face. Jason could swear he could smell its breath from over there. Tanya was shrieking, and never before had Jason seen her break down like this. She was usually confident and cocky, but you'd guess losing all control is what would happen to anyone if stared at the face if a murderous animal. Jason immediately did what was on instinct. Jason grabbed a rock on the ground and threw it at the beast, while yelling at it. That certainly grabbed its attention. Jason threw another until he knew that it was now pissed. The thing left Tanya and ran towards Jason. He put on his spiked knuckles and prayed. The thing swiped it paw at Jason, and he was bleeding badly. Jason injected some Med-X, a heavily modified version of morphine, in his wounded area, just to hold out a little longer. Jason swung his fist at the thing's head, and his spike punctured it eye. Blinded, the beast howled and was walking around aimlessly, until Jason ended its life by hitting it again. It fell to the ground, but the other beast ran up to Jason. It knocked him down and got on top of him. He was stuck in a desperate wrestle for survival. It roared in Jason's face, and saliva was dripping from its mouth. Jason looked in its silver white eyes, and found out what it was like to stare death in the face. He didn't back down though, and continued to stare at it while it tried to make a meal of him. Then, a gunshot went off. The thing then got off Jason. Then the beast limped away in pain, and eventually ran off.

"Jesus Christ... I just wrestled with that mutated bear thing..."

"That would be a Yao Guai," Tanya said as she holstered her trusty rifle, which looked like an M1 Garand, an old WWII relic. "You saved me. I won't forget that."

"You saved mine too you know," Jason said.

"Ah, well I'm sure you could've taken it on."

Jason started chuckling a bit. Tanya gave her classic grin, and for the first time since Christine Kendall... Jason could feel himself blushing. He stammered a bit, before turning his head away. Jason prayed to god she didn't see. He was lucky he had blood on his face. If Jason could see himself, he'd think he was pathetic. He can't be falling for some Wasteland girl. But why does she always give these subtle flirtations? Jason shuddered more as he heard Tanya give a slight giggle. Jason merely tried concentrating on something else. He noticed the Yao Guai corpse.

"At least we've got something for dinner now."

Jason took his knife, and started cutting the meat off. "Why am I pushing her away?" Jason thought. He looked over his shoulder, and noticed Tanya was already going to gather firewood, with her M1 Garand gripped tightly in hand. What a woman.

After sleeping a restless night, Jason was on his way to the place where Vault 112 was supposedly at. After eating breakfast and packing everything up, Jason and Tanya headed west. Jason had his first try at mole rat meat that morning. He could say without exaggeration, that if shit were converted to meat, mole rat meat is the result. Eventually, Jason reached his destination. An old mechanic's shop, called Smith Casey's Garage, stood in the middle of nowhere. After stepping inside, Jason was greeted by the usual pests, including the horrible tasting mole rats. After exploring every little bit of the garage after exterminating the pests, Jason and Tanya were left clueless as to where the Vault 112 was. Tanya leaned on a wall.

"You think we're in the right place? 'Cause where the hell could it be here?"

Tanya's elbow happened to bump into a switch on the wall, and the ground moved below her like a trap door. She fell down a group of stairs, until hitting the ground.

"Ow! What the hell?!"

Jason came rushing toward her aid. He saw that she wasn't seriously hurt, but Jason was amazed at what stood before him. The massive cog door that bore the numbers 112. After flipping a switch, Jason saw the door swing open. A red klaxon alarm went off, and Jason was having a flashback, on how he and the Holdens escaped Vault 101. Jason snapped out of his nostalgia and slowly headed inside. He looked around him. Empty halls surrounded him. There was a cold chill in the air, and Jason saw his own breath as he slowly exhaled. Nobody was here. He explored around looking through the windows. Everything here was like Vault 101, but just... more new looking. And empty. He felt a strange feeling of desolation. He treaded cautiously, until he was met by a Robobrain class robot.

"Greetings sir and madam. According to my sensors, you are two hundred, two and a half years behind schedule. Please put on your Vault 112 jumpsuit, and proceed."

Jason pushed the robot out of the way, not patient enough to play along with this crap. He was in a central control room of some sort. There were several pods, each with a person in a weird trance or sleep. "Have these people been here for the last 200 years?" Jason thought. He looked in the pods, until he found his dad.

"Dad? Dad! Wake up! Damn it..."

For some reason, he wouldn't get out of his trance-like state. Jason looked at the nearby terminals. They each displayed the medical information and status of all the occupants. Jason noticed Tanya eying an empty pod.

"No way in hell I'm getting in that..."

Jason sighed. He opened the pod and got up. There was a typical pre-war lounger there, along with a TV mounted at the end of the pod. Jason climbed in and readied himself.

"Tanya, if anything happens, or if I'm gone long, do everything you can to wake me up."

She nodded, as the pod began to close. The TV flickered to life, as images of some pre-war neighborhood were presented to him. Briefly, an image of some weird little girl came up on screen. Soon, he stared at the TV. He couldn't take his eyes off it, and soon, he dozed off, and his world went black...

Jason opened his eyes, and saw a weird neighborhood, like that on the TV screen.

"What the hell?" He muttered.

It seemed like a perfect little simulation. Of a perfect little suburbia. He looked at his wrist to see what the hell was going on. He was shocked to see his Pip-Boy gone, replaced with a little Vault-Tec watch.

"What the fuck!?"

"Young man, you watch your mouth!"

Jason looked up and a middle aged man in a vest and clean slacks.

"Young man? What the hell are you talking about?!"

Jason looked down and saw what he meant. He was wearing some weird stupid outfit pre-war kids used to wear; a striped t-shirt and jeans. Why the hell he was a kid, had no idea.

"Your parents should teach you some manners!"

Jason looked up to see the man still standing there. The mention of his parents spurred Jason to get back on task.

"Yeah, I don't know where my parents are. Do you know where they are?"

Jason was surprised to hear his old ten-year old voice again. It was a bit more higher pitched, but still gruff and recognizable compared to his own.

"No, I can't say I have kiddo. Maybe you should see Betty. She'd probably know."

The man pointed to a seemingly innocent little girl watering flowers. He cautiously walked toward her, still not knowing what the hell all this is.

"Hello, I'm Betty! Want to play?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't have time for mere games. I need to find my dad. Do you know where he is?"

"Okay, but first, you have to play a game with me!"

Jason was getting impatient, but tried playing along anyway.

"Sure, what do you have in mind?"

"That's the spirit! Now all you have to do, is make Timmy cry."

"Make him cry? Okay..."

Jason was pointed to a little kid at a crudely made lemonade stand. He went up to him, still unsure of this weird simulated world around him. He approached Timmy.

"Hi! I'm Timmy! Want to buy some lemonade?"

Jason didn't have time for funny business. For lack of a better plan, Jason merely punched Timmy in the nose. He was bleeding, and ran away crying mommy. It was very mean, sure, but Jason felt it was justified, considering they were technically the same age in this place. Plus, he seemed like a big wuss. As he walked back, a little tiny piece of him died. He went back to Betty.

"You got him good didn't you?! As a reward, I will answer one question."

"Who... are you?"

"Why, I am Doctor Stanislaus Braun. Vault-Tec's sorcerer scientist, and creator of this world you see around you."

Betty's voice changed from a little girl, to that of an aging European man's voice. Jason was startled at first, and he stepped a few steps back.

"Why the hell are you a little girl?"

"Hmm... Well, I have been inhabiting the same body for a while, and I thought that this body might make for some amusement."

"Where's my dad?!"

"Uh, uh, uh! I said one question. I was kind enough to answer two. Now, if you want to learn more, you'll have to play my game."

Jason didn't like this one bit, but it was his only option right now.

"Fine... I'll play along for now..."

"Excellent! And do try and show a little more enthusiasm. Now all I need you to do, is break up the Rockwell's marriage, but don't kill them. Understand?"

Jason was infuriated at this, but he was left with no choice to comply. He felt that this would only get worse. Jason went over to a quaint little house with a mailbox labeled, "Rockwell." This must be the place. He went inside and was greeted by a typical middle aged woman, while a man sat on his couch reading a newspaper.

"Hello there. I'm Janet. What could I do for you?"

"Hi. Who's that over there?" Jason asked. He gestured toward the man on the couch."

"Him? Oh, he's my husband, Roger. Why do you ask?"

Jason tried thinking as quickly as he could.

"I saw your husband Roger kissing another woman. She was some blond in a pink dress."

Jason honestly didn't know if there was a woman that fit that description. He merely tried following on stereotypes.

"He did what?! It was that bitch Martha Simpson wasn't it? Roger!"

Jason sat on the couch and watched the show.

"Roger, you fat bastard! You saw her? Didn't you?"

"Janet, what are you talking about?"

"Don't fucking lie to me! I know you were with that whore Martha Simpson!"

"Janet, what are you getting at? I didn't see her!"

"Bullshit, Roger! Someone saw you! I can't even look at you right now! Get out of my sight!"

A few heated words later, and Janet stormed off, leaving Roger bewildered at this proposal.

"How did it ever come to this?" Roger mumbled. Jason sneaked out through the back door, and reported to Betty. As evil as it was, Jason couldn't help but find the argument funny. It's like a bad pre-war sitcom.

"Well, now. I see you succeeded. Very well, I'll answer another question."

Where's my dad?"

"Ah yes... your father. He was here alright. Such a shame he wasn't so cooperative. In fact, he's still here. In this very neighborhood."

"Where?!"

"I'm afraid you can't talk to him. He's in a bit of a 'hairy' situation... Anyway, I've answered your question. Now, you must do something for me."

The transition between Betty's voice and Braun's was utterly creepy...

"What? I'm listening."

"All I ask now, is that you end the life of Ms. Mabel Henderson. But please, do be creative with it. Don't just pummel her down. Because where is the fun in that?"

"How is murder creative? How is it even fun?!"

"You'll learn to appreciate its entertainment value when you've been stuck here for approximately 200 years. Now go!"

Jason headed off. Murder... good god... if all this is just a simulation, they can't die in real life, right? Jason was not sure. It just felt... so weird and scarring. It's as if you know God watches you as you do it. However, God wasn't going to stop Jason from finding his dad. He continued walking, but was then greeted by a large German Shepard dog. It came up to Jason and wagged its tall back and forth.

"Back off. I'm trying to find my dad."

Jason walked past the dog, while it just whined hopelessly. He went in Mabel Henderson's house, and was greeted by a slightly creepy Mister Handy robot.

"Good morning, young master! How are you this fine day?"

Jason nodded and noticed Mabel sweeping the floor on the upper floor beyond the stairs. He slowly sneaked to the kitchen, while the Mister Handy payed no attention to him, as it vacuumed the floor. He went to a terminal and activated. He quickly logged in, as Mabel was foolish enough not to even put up a password. He looked at options for controlling the Mister Handy. Jason engaged the house on lock down, trapping everyone inside. Then, Jason activated the security protocols of the Handy robot. The robot quickly dashed upstairs and chased Mabel down. She was lit on fire by the flamethrower mounted on the Mister Handy. She fell from the banister from the upper level to the ground, as she desperately tried to open the door. Sadly, it was locked, and Mabel was hacked down by the Mister Handy's buzz saw. Jason gagged a bit, before he disabled the security program and unlocked the doors. He initialized the protocols to go back to cleaning, as he was before. The Mister Handy was soon cleaning up the blood on the carpet, as if nothing happened. Jason went out, and cleaned the blood on his shoes before moving on. Jason caught up with that pug-nosed scamp, still looking as innocent as she possibly could.

"Bill Foster told Mabel that she should get that blasted robot fixed. You're starting to impress me. If you can complete this next task, I'll free you and your father from this place."

Jason's eyes lit up, and he payed close attention.

"All you have to do, is become the Pint-Sized slasher. Then, you must massacre the rest of this little suburbia."

"What?! Hell no! I'm not killing a whole neighborhood of people!"

"Then you'll never leave! Hahahahaha!"

Jason grudgingly went over to an old dog house. He looked inside and saw some weird psycho clown mask and a clean shining knife, waiting to be stained with the blood of the residents of Tranquility Lane. Jason looked into the shining blade and saw his reflection. But this wasn't him. It was the reflection of a cold blooded murderer. Mabel is dead, and there was nothing Jason can do for her. But does everybody here have to suffer? Jason frantically dropped the knife and ran off. There had to be an alternative. Just before he could finish that thought, an old woman waked up to Jason.

"Who are you? You don't belong here. What are you doing here?"

Jason wanted to respond, but she still kept talking.

"We're not really here. We're not really talking. This is all some dream made up by him."

"Him? You mean Braun?"

"Yes! He thinks he's a god here. You must help us. They all think I'm crazy. But you don't, right? Use the failsafe terminal. It's our only way out!"

"Failsafe? What the hell is that?"

"It's in the abandoned house. Go! Now!"

Jason wanted to ask more questions, but she merely walked away, continuing to talk and babble to herself. He decided to give this old abandoned house a look. He tried opening the door, but it was locked. While no one was looking, Jason smashed the window on the door, and used the doorknob from the inside. He opened it up and explored everywhere for this terminal. He looked around everywhere for something. Maybe a switch or something. Then, after 15 minutes of failed tries, Jason tried using logic from old comics. He tried pulling back books on a bookcase to see if a secret door was behind it. He checked if a little switch was underneath the head of a bust. But his efforts were fruitless. Finally, when he had given up all hope, Jason kicked an old bottle on the ground in frustration. Much to his surprise, Jason heard a weird chiming sound from the bottle. Curiously, Jason tapped it again to see if what he heard was real. The chime went off again. He looked at an old radio. He flicked that too. To his surprise, Jason learned that several items needed to be pinged in a certain order, if he wants to activate something. Through a system of trial and error, Jason finally managed to activate all the items in the room. Suddenly, a console just appears out of nowhere. He looked through several files, including how Doctor Braun takes sick pleasure in killing everyone in a variety of ways. How can you live through torture like this? Be killed, only to be brought back and killed again? He looked through several commands, until Jason found a program called, "Chinese Invasion." Seemed pretty straightforward. He activated it. Within seconds, Jason heard the familiar sound of assault rifle piercing the air. He then heard shouts in an Asian dialect, undoubtedly Chinese. He went up outside and saw Chinese commandos spilling crimson all over the neighborhood. People were running around, screaming hopelessly as they begged for their lives as they were gunned down. Amazingly, the soldiers payed no heed to Jason, as they ran right past him. However, Jason noticed one soldier in particular. He wore a normal Chinese uniform, but his face... was Jason's as he is now at age 19. He was essentially looking at himself. He looked in pure confusion, until he blinked, and then the Chinese man's face was a normal random Chinese guy. The trooper went up to regroup with his squad.

"Okay... that was creepy..."

Jason noticed a door standing in the middle of nowhere. Betty was yelling and cursing about how Jason ruined everything. Jason payed no heed as held the doorknob in his hand. Before he left, Jason had one last thing to say to Betty/Braun.

"Hey! Enjoy the rest of eternity here, bitch!"

Jason saw him/her dashing toward him, but he quickly opened the door and exited this simulation...

When Jason woke up, he noticed the TV screen blank, and bullet holes on the glass windows of his pod. He quickly got out, and heard a familiar voice.

"Jason! My god, I thought you died or something! If you hadn't gotten out sooner, I'd have left!"

Jason never felt so happy to hear Tanya's voice.

"What's with the bullet holes on the pod?"

"You told me to get you out if you were gone too long. You've been out for four days Jason. I tried shooting the windows to see if I could break you out or something. For a while, I thought you died. But I kept looking at that little terminal thing over there, and said you fine. So I waited..."

Tanya gestured toward the sleeping quarters of Vault 112, where she made an indoor campsite.

"Thanks for staying here for me."

Tanya gave a cheerful trusting look. However, Jason noticed something even more grand.

"Dad? Dad, is that you?!"

"Jason?!" James muttered in awe.

**Whew! I'm done. I'm actually quite proud of this chapter. Did I mention that? Anyway, hope you enjoyed. Please review! Oh, and Bren Tenkage AKA Brenthewise, I'm afraid your OC won't be here for another chapter or two. Please, be patient.**


	7. The L Word

**You all... have no idea... what it took me to get this chapter up. I'm going to keep this short. This is a filler chapter, but major developments go down. I made things interesting by putting in a misc quest in. I'd also dedicate this chapter to Fire Kunai, who's now probably reading this from New Zealand. And MysticGohan88. He's cool too. Let's get on with it!**

"Dad..."

"Jason..."

James was obviously happy to see his son, though he seemed... different. He was slightly more tanned, had a dirty, scruffy feel, and overall had a rough around the edges sort of look. His hair was unkempt and very unsettled. He grew was starting to grow a slight scruffy stubble of beard on his face. Even Jason's moustache of all things looked a bit messed up, though it managed to keep its oriental look. All in all, this still was James's son, no matter how much the wasteland changed him, physically and otherwise.

"Jason. It is so good to see you. But what are you doing here?"

Jason ignored the question and ran over and hugged his dad as tightly as he could. Never, was Jason so happy to find his dad. Tiny little splashes were made on the ground, as the tears dropped from his eyes. Tanya gave a slight smile, before she left to the living quarters to leave Jason and James to talk alone.

"I'm glad to see you too. But that doesn't answer my question. What are you doing here?"

Jason let go of his dad and wiped the tears off his glasses and eyes.

"I needed to find you," Jason said.

"Yes, I can see that..."

James then expected a rush of questions, a verbal lashing, and a bit of overreactiveness. However, James was surprised that he was calmly asked one question.

"Dad... can I ask you something?"

"Yes, son?"

James immediately regretted that, as a rush of incoherent and slurred questions rushed out of Jason's mouth.

"What the fuck?! Why did you leave the vault? Why did you not tell me anything? Why did you lie about my life? Why did you lie about Mom? Why did you almost get yourself killed? WHY!?"

"Jason, calm down!"

Jason breathed deeply for a few seconds. James couldn't blame his son. He could understand his need to ask why, but he could've at least been less like a child having a fit.

"Now Jason, please ask one at a time please."

After Jason regained his composure, Jason asked.

"What are you doing here?" Jason asked more calmly. He calmed down so much, that his words were more of a whisper.

James sighed. Jason probably knew quite a bit, considering he was able to find him at Vault 112. However, under normal circumstances, James would keep this a secret, but since Jason was out of the vault, there seemed like no purpose hiding it.

"I was searching for the G.E.C.K., or information on it at least. I expected papers, maybe a holotape, but I never expected Braun to be alive and insane."

"You mean the Garden of Eden Creation Kit? Yeah, I already know."

"Then you know full well as to why I left."

"What did you find?" Jason asked.

"Well, there wasn't a G.E.C.K. here, but I do know we need its components. Otherwise, we can't repair the purifier at the Jefferson Memorial. We'll need to get to Rivet City, and get help to start up the purifier before we do anything else."

Jason nodded and there was a bit of silence before Jason asked his next questions.

"Why didn't you tell me you were leaving the vault?"

"Jason, you have to understand, that if I told you, you would most likely follow me out of the vault. You needed to stay there. It wasn't perfect, but it was safe. But I have my reasons. I didn't even tell Jonas the truth as to why I left. It's sad really... But why did _you_ leave the vault?" James asked.

"Dad, I don't know what you thought, but you might think I don't need you because you hold me back, but the truth is, Dad, you're the thing that keeps me going. And I don't think I'll be going back to the vault anytime soon. The Overseer killed Jonas, then tried to interrogate me as a prisoner. When I didn't know anything, he tried to kill me..."

James's expression froze in a look in discomfort, surprise, and horror.

"What...? My god... Jason, I'm so sorry. I...I never expected him to react like that. Jonas... he didn't deserve this..."

"Dad, it's okay. I'm out of the vault now. We're here now."

"Yes... right. We'll just need to put that behind us," James muttered to himself.

"Did you come here all by yourself?" Jason asked.

"No, of course not. I... had a little help out here."

James let out a sharp whistle, and small scampering footsteps were coming by, followed by a feminine scream. Alarmed, Jason and James went to investigate the scream. A dog stood by Jame's feet. Tanya was standing atop a desk.

"I thought that thing was dead!" Tanya shouted.

"Who's that?" James asked looking at the woman.

"A friend of mine," Jason quickly responded. James wasn't convinced thouroughly, however James did notice Jason's eyes fixated on his furry companion.

"I see you've met my dog, Jack," James said.

"I think this is the first dog I've met that hasn't gone feral and tried to eat me," Jason commented.

"Yes, well there a few good dogs still out there. I happened to meet this dog at an old scrapyard. He saved me from Raiders, though his master died in the attack. Since then, he's followed me and kept me company for the past few days."

Jason was looking into the dog's eyes. He knelt down to pet its head.

"Note the one blue eye and one brown eye. That's a trait unique to husky dogs. Do you think you can be a veteranarian?" asked James.

"You mean an animal doctor? I don't know. Animals are a lot different from humans... right?"

"True, but you could be surprised at times."

"How did you come up with the name Jack? He seems more like a... Dogmeat..."

"Dogmeat?" James asked. He looked curiously at the animal, to see if he could see what Jason sees.

"Well, I came up with the name, because your mother and I debated between Jack or Jason. Eventually, we decided Jason was a much more suitable name for you."

The mention of Mom sparked Jason to ask one of his more important questions.

"Yeah... about Mom..." Jason said in a sly sarcastic voice. James immediately seemed to recognize what Jason was about to say.

"So, the truth finally comes out, does it?" James said somewhat ashamed.

"Is it true? Is Madison Li actually my mom?"

James took a deep sigh.

"Yes, it's true. Madison is in fact your mother."

"So everything you told me about Mom back in the vault was a lie?"

"Not exactly..." James replied questionably.

"What do you mean?"

"Well..._most_ of what I told you about your mother's life and history was true. I just merely lied about her name, and the fact she is deceased. I felt some things of my past life needed to be left behind. However, I find myself missing her more everytime you used to ask about your mother. I was foolish enough to tell you about Madison's life, rather than lie telling of Catherine's life. In a way, Catherine does exist. She just has a different name, and that name is Madison Li."

Jason needed a moment to take that in. There was silence, before James spoke once more.

"Well, it is getting late. I'm still a bit groggy from Braun's little simulation, so we should at least rest for the night before we go back to Rivet City. There's the living quarters are over there. We can get supplies and rest up there."

Jasom didn't argue with him. Rest seemed like a logical choice, and he was pretty tired anyway. They went to the living quarters, where Tanya was already sleeping in a bed. Jack (Dogmeat) was sleeping in his corner of the room. Jason took off his glasses and fell on the bed, where Jason immediately dozed off. James however, despite his drowziness, couldn't sleep, or at least right away. He looked at his son, wondering. What has his son gone through to find him? What adventures has he been up to? How has the Wasteland changed him? Since last seeing Jason, James remembers him being a bit reserved and even timid, despite his entourage of friends. Now, he seemed more determined, serious, and calm... for the most part. James could see his son was still good 'ol Jason. James also wondered how Jason's medical pursuits were going. James knew he and Madison aptly named him. The name "Jason" meant "healer." How fitting. Here in the Wasteland, he must be using his paramedical talents a lot more now, having to bandage up his wounds as well as his female friend. James wondered who she was. He didn't even get a name. Even while she slept, James felt that she was hiding something... she almost had a mischevious atmosphere of her, and James could've sworn he saw her grinning in her sleep. James prayed that Jason keep her at arms length. Who knows what could happen. As James continued to reflect, he could feel himself feeling very tired, until he finally succumbed to slumber.

The next day was a long grueling trip back to Rivet City. Jason, Tanya, James and Dogmeat all first went to Megaton to gather supplies and breakfast. Jason expected to see Tom ans Mary Holden, but for some reason, they weren't there. Jason wondered where thay could be. He hoped they were okay. Jason and his entourage got ready to head to Rivet City. However, along the way, they came across a new settlement. Blockades and sandbag walls surrounded the area, and a rickety wooden bridge over a small pond lead to what looked like a ghost town. Suddenly, a voice hiding the sandbags yelled out.

"Wh...Whos there? State your buisiness here! Oh, it's not like it matters. We're all screwed anyway."

"Who are you? What is this place?" Jason asked.

"You didn't come here on purpose? Well that's a surprise... Anyway, I'm Dusty. And this is Big Town," replied the voice, who now revealed himself from behind the wall.

"Is this how you treat all your guests?" Tanya asked rather annoyed.

"No, but ever since the last Super Mutant raid, we've been on edge. This has been the second attack this week, and I'm starting to wonder how long we'll last. Either we get owned by the slavers or die and get carried off by Super Mutants. I have to keep a watchful eye."

"Mind if we come in?" Jason asked. Dusty merely shrugged his sholders and sat on his chair keeping watch. As they crossed the rickety bridge, they saw a few people around Jason and Tanya's age wandering the area. The eldest of these residents took notice of these new visitors, and "greeted them."

"Hey. I'm Pappy, mayor of this shithole. Tell us what you want and get the fuck out of here"

"Quite a welcome wagon you have here asshole," Jason lashed back.

"C'mon, Pappy! They don't look like slavers or Raiders, so why do you treat them like it? We might as well just shoot everything we see. Besides,they might be able to help us," said a voice. All heads turned to young African American woman with a red bandana and matching red jumpsuit.

"Red, you're too trusting. One of these days, you're going to get us killed," Pappt shot back at her. He cursed under his breath and went inside a building. The woman in red came up to Jason and his friends.

"I'm sorry for the rude welcome. We've just been going through some tough times. I'm Red by the way. I'm the town doctor."

"Town docotr? I have a feeling we'll get along just fine. I'm Jason." The two shook hands in a very friendly manner.

"So what brings you to Big Town?" Red asked.

"We just happened to stumble across this place. We're actually on our way to Rivet City," Jason replied. "What is this place?"

"Well, this place is Big Town. Most of the residents here are people who used to live back in Little Lamplight. You see, that place has a policy, that if you turn 16, you get kicked out. And when we're out, our choices are to either wander the wastes, or go to Big Town. Excluding the Raiders, Super Mutants, slavers, and the other occasional threat, life's not so bad."

Red showed Jason and his friends the rest of Big Town, though there wasn't really much to see. Jason and James quickly found Red to be quite sociable person. They eventually met the rest of Big Town's residents, though the pleasanties ended rather quickly. Only after about 20 minutes in Big Town, Dusty shouted from his post.

"They're here! Get the hell indoors! Run!"

Jason saw several residents fleeing to the safety of the indoors. Super Mutants marched through the entrance. People were screaming and going crazy, while they tried escaping. Suddenly, a small round object landed by Jason's feet. It took him a few seconds to identify it.

"Oh, shit!"

Jason ran as fast as he could from the grenade, but it went off. Jason was knocked off his feet by shockwave and force of the explosion, and his head hit the ground with traumatic force. He managed to keep his conscious a little longer, and he heard Tanya's struggled screaming.

"Ahhh! Let me go you creeps! I am **NOT** going back to a Super Mutant camp! Not again!"

Jason could feel himself being dragged on the ground, accompanied by the howling and barking of Dogmeat in the background.

"Hang on, son. Don't give up on me just yet..."

Then, Jason's world blacked out.

Jason woke up and saw he was on some sort of hospital bed. He saw a badly injured wastelander adjacent to him. What the hell just happened? Jason couldn't remember where he was at the moment. Then, he felt the bump on the back of his head. Bandages were wrapped around his head like a headband. Still confused, Jason got up and went outside. He saw a burning building, several bulletholes in the walls, and spots explosions took place. Jason then immediately remembered what had happened. He saw the Big Town residents gathered at the center of town for some kind of meeting.

"Okay, let's do a head count... Flash... Kimba... Bittercup... Dusty... Timebomb's in the infirmiry... Shit! We're missing Red and Shorty!" Pappy announced.

"Who was that third girl they took?" a resident asked.

"I think that was one our 'guests.' But that doesn't matter now. If we don't defend our town properly next time, we'll end up like them."

Jason knew that the third person had to be Tanya. He loosely remembered her screaming and yelling as the mutants took her away. Jason also was devastated to hear Red was taken away. Despite their short time they met, Red was one of the only people Jason met in the Capital Wasteland besides Tanya whom he could consider a friend. And Shorty... well... all Jason knew about Shorty is that right now, it sucks to be him. Jason had to go rescue his friends. He noticed James tinkering with his Pip-Boy, along with Dogmeat sitting on the ground next to him.

"Jason! Good to see you up again instead of thrashing about in your sleep. You must've been having one hell of a nightmare. I never expected you to wake up so early. I thought you'd be out for a couple more hours. I suppose you've developed some tolerance to pain out here. That could be a difference between life and death out here. I suppose most of the vault manual labor help pays off dosen't it?"

"Dad, what happened? Where did the mutants take them?"

"You'll have to ask about that to one of the residents here. Though in your condition, I highly suggest you rest a little longer."

"No! These people will die without my help! I'm even friends with two of them. Dad, I have to do this. With or without your consent."

His dedication is admirable. James could see determination swelling im his serious expression. It's the kind of face that looks like you can go to hell and back. The kind of look that shows you won't take any bullshit.

"Don't let me keep you. Take Jack along with you. He may prove to be a life-saving companion out there."

"His name's Dogmeat, Dad."

"Well, call him what you will. You may find his company more useful than I have."

"Thanks."

Jason went to the crowd gathering at the center of Big Town, with Dogmeat following close by. Pappy was pissed as always.

"What the fuck do you want? For all we know, the Super Mutants could've followed you here!"

"Pappy, calm the hell down, before I kick your ass," Jason said. Pappy looked at him uneasily. Jason was clearly stronger than him, and the 12 guage shotgun strapped to Jason's back didn't help. The fierce dog next to Jason's feet growling at him didn't help Pappy either.

"You...you're point is taken... Please, say what you were going to say," Pappy said in a more polite tone.

"I'm going to rescue the people taken in the last raid."

"I am going to say this in the kindest way possible: you are a fucking moron."

"Damn it, Pappy! There are lives at stake! Tell him what he needs to know!" Shouted a resident.

"Fine! Okay, maybe you aren't as bad as you seem, but my opinion of you won't change until you come back with Red and Shorty alive. They've most likely been taken to the Germantown Police Headquarters north of here. Your bitch is probably there too. Good luck finding them... you'll need it..."

Jason nodded, and stormed out. Pappy... what an asshole...

A little bit of traveling later, Jason and Dogmeat found a gated area that had tents dotted around a large damaged, but intact, building. The letters "GER AN OWN POL C STA ION" were on a sign above an entrace. Letters were rusted and decaying, and Jason could feel he could replace the missing letters in his mind. Germantown Police Station. This was the place. He cautiously sneaked into the slightly open main gate, being sure to look out for any Super Mutants. He eventually opened the door to the main building. Inside, it was quiet... too quiet. All Jason could hear was the panting of his canine companion. As he explored the desolate halls, he saw from behind a low wall, two Super Mutants conversing with each other.

"What we get from today's raid?" asked one mutant.

"Two lady humans and puny man," said the other.

"That all?"

"Yeah... lady in green look nice..."

"You goin' soft? What are you? Some kind of human?"

Jason knew they were talking about Tanya and the others. He was surprised Super Mutants were even civil enough to have conversation. As Jason tried to sneak away, Dogmeat's curiosity got the better of him. Dogmeat creeped over to the Super Mutants behind one of their backs. Jason desparately tried to gesture him to come back, but it was too late.

"What the hell is that? Weird furry rat?"

"Don't know... lets kill it! We will have snack!"

Jason couldn't let those thing kill Dogmeat. As a mutant grabbed Dogmeat and picked him up, Dogmeat bit the thick green arm that held him. The thing yelled in pain, as Dogmeat quickly scurried back to his master. Jason took the shotgun strapped to his back and released a flechette of 12 guage slugs into a mutant's face. It fell dead, as Jason pulled the trigger once more on the other Super Mutant. After the mutants were dead, Jason told Dogmeat very carefully to never attack until a shot is fired. Dogmeat merely tilted his head to the side. After exploring the area, Jason came across the holding cells. Skeletons were strewn about, but the dead silence was soon broken by a familiar voice.

"Jason? Is that you?"

Jason turned to see Red behind the bars of her cell.

"I'm here to get you out of this hellhole. Where's Tanya?"

"She and Shorty were taken to the kitchen in the basement. But I've heard some stories. Nobody ever comes back from the kitchen..."

"Damn... Red, stay here. I'm going after them."

"They've probably already been... Don't take to long."

Jason quickly dashed to the stairs leading to the basement. Time was of the essence now. He quickly ran, gunning down any Super Mutants with his shotgun, with Dogmeat throwing himself at anything that survived Jason's shots. As Jason progressed, he was horrified to see blood painting the wall and floors. Mutilated body parts lying aroung everywher. As Jason was slowly processing the terror filled in this room, Dogmeat picked up a familiar scent. He followed it, until he came across a door. Dogmeat was pawing at the door briefly, but was startled when he heard a knock on the door from the other side. He jumped back a bit, and barked at the door. Jason heard Dogmeat barking, so he investigated. When he opened the door Dogmeat was barking at, he saw Tanya lounging on an old bloody matress.

"Tanya!"

"Jason!"

She quickly ran up and wrapped her arms around him and let him go.

"At least these dickheads were courteous enough to give me a bed."

"Tanya, no time to talk. Where's Shorty?"

"You mean that other guy? Sorry Jason, but to put it quite bluntly, he's fucked. The Super Mutants already took him away. I was next."

"C'mon Tanya, you can't be too sure. Let's go!"

"Whatever."

Tanya grabbed her rifle from a locker and grudgingly followed Jason. They sneaked through a couple halls. Then, they overheard some talk from behind a door.

"Please, could you just kill me and get this overwith?

"No! Where is fun in that? I make you suffer more!"

"Oh, please god, no!"

Jason heard some sort of machine revving up. Acting quickly, Jason slammed the door and fired at the biggest thing he could see, with Tanya providing support fire. With the Super Mutant dead, Jason saw it was gripping some sort of mini chainsaw. God knows what that thing was going to do with it. Jason turned to see Shorty with several cuts and bruises on him.

"Oh god... thank you. I thought I was dead for sure. Thanks."

"No time to talk. Thank me later. We've got to get the hell out of here!" Jason yelled.

"No arguements here. Let's go."

After making their way up and getting out, Jason, Tanya, Dogmeat, Red, and Shorty all made the long travel back to Big Town.

Soon, the group crossed the rickety wooden bridge into the settlement. A crowd started forming around them.

"Oh my god... Red? Shorty? You're alive?! Holy shit!" Pappy commented.

"Yeah. We wouldn't have made it without our friend here," Red gratefully said.

"Uhh... not to break up the celebration, but we still have a problem here..." Shorty mentioned.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, right before Jason, or whatever his name is saved me, the Super Mutants were talking about their next raid later today, and now that their brethren are dead, and we're out, they're most likely coming to kill us all in a matter of hours..."

"Damn it! I don't think we can last another raid!" Pappy frantically yelled. Red turned to Jason.

"Listen, I know we've asked for a lot, but can you please help us again?"

Jason sighed. He looked at Tanya, and surprisingly seemed enthusiastic to help.

"Okay, but we need a plan..."

"Maybe I can help," said a familiar voice. James looked ready to lend a hand any way he could.

"What can you do?" Jason asked.

"Well, as I was wandering the area, I found a couple of old disabled sentry bots and Protectrons. With your help Jason, we could bolster Big Town's defenses."

"And maybe I can teach the residents how to use a rifle and pistol," Tanya added.

"Looks like we have a plan. Let's get moving people. We have precious little time."

Jason quickly got to work with the robots. He had experiance with working with machines, thanks to the maintenance training in the vault. Jason actually worked on a Protectron in the vault, however it was decommissioned and scrapped after it malfunctioned and ended up hurting Stanley, though it had nothing to do with Jason's technical skills. Tanya seemed to know what she was doing, as she taught the more inept Big Town residents how to shoot and polish their marksmanship. She made a makeshift shooting range, where they try to shoot bottles, cans, and other junk laid about.

An hour or so passed, and the robots were online, and people had enough traing to at least get down the basics of conventional firearms, though Jason and everyone else wondered how effective this would be to defend the town. Looks like they were going to find out. A small group of Super Mutants stormed the gate, and the robots took their positions. Shots were fired on both sides in an intense firefight. While mutants were rather hardy, Big Town had the advantage of numbers. Even James actually tried firing a shot or two. The first wave was overwith, though there was little time to celebrate. Another wave came flooding in. The people tried to hold them off for a little longer. Eventually, one of the residents got wounded, so James had to take her to the infirmiry at Red's clinic. The mutants just wouldn't stop coming. An hour or so passed. The mutants finally retreated. In total, there were no deaths, two people seriously wounded (if you count Timebomb) and several scrapes and bruises all around. The people were celebrating, and the resident who was wounded was well enough to join her friends to celebrate. People brought out alchohol, and cheered that they would actually live the rest of the night. In the midst of everything, Pappy sincerely came to Jason.

"Wow... we're alive... if it hadn't been for you, I'd hate to think what'd happen. I guess I owe you an apology. I... may have misjudged you."

"Apology accepted."

Pappy gave his first form of friendlyness by shaking Jason's hand, before joining up with the rest of the townspeople. Jason himself was standing at the far end of the city, merely watching the sunset slowly turn to night, which was probably one of the most fulfilling experiences a person who's been cooped up in a vault all their life could do.

"I'm very proud of you, son."

Jason turned to see his dad, a warm smile gracing his face.

"Thanks, Dad. I mean, I did what I had to right? What would other self-respecting people would do in a situation like this?"

"Unfortunately, there aren't too many self respecting people in the wasteland."

Jason took a deep sigh as he watched the last bit of the sun dissappear in the horizon.

"Good night, Son."

James went to a commons house, where Big Town residents slept, with Dogmeat now snoozing at the doorstep. The party died down, and people were now just going to bed. Jason however, was going to sleep outside, just to gaze at the stars and other wonders of the outside world. He sat on thr ground, and had a sleeping bag, a blanket laid out on the ground, a bottle of wine from the party, and his large backpack laying on the ground, with a little campfire closeby. It was dead silent. He felt nothing could be better and more beautiful... until the silence was broken.

"Hi Jason."

Jason was startled a bit, but was only relieved when he saw it was only Tanya next to him.

"Hey Tanya. What are you doing up this late?"

Jason's Pip-Boy registered at about 11:00 PM.

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

"I... well, nothing really..." Jason could feel himself getting the slightest bit warmer on his head.

"Mind if I sit down?"

Jason shrugged his shoulders, allowing her to sit next to him on the blanket laid out like a picnic cloth. For a while, Jason was just sharing the now awkward silence. Tanya grabbed out a glass and poured some wine.

"Wanna drink?" she asked. Jason was never really one to turn down a drink, so he got himslef a glass and started drinking. Then another drink... then another... he wasn't really feeling drunk though. He felt that stereotypes for drunkenness were a bit overexaggerated. Suddenly, something just clicked into place. Jason was realizing how romantic this was. Midnight sky... settling next to the fireplace... no one else around... a little wine... it's as if someone staged this, but really this just happens to all be coincidence. Or at least he thinks.

"So Jason... you ever had a girlfriend or something in the vault?"

Jason tried to ignore any thoughts that she might be subtly trying to flirt with him. She's just making small talk.

"Well there was this one girl, but it never really worked out..."

Jason looked over to see Tanya a bit closer than he would want her to be, and she was holding his hand. He quickly shook her off.

"Tanya, is there something going on? Do you... like me or something?"

She merely gave that mischevious grin of hers one more time. Jason felt his heart skip a beat, and he could feel himself sweating.

"Well... what if I do?" Tanya asked in a very cliched innocent tone.

Jason gasped a bit, and several thoughts rushed through his head, most of which told him to get rid of her. You can't be falling for her. She's a liability and only bad things could happen out here. As his mind was having a civil war within itself, Tanya slowly was crawling toward him. Jason was not expecting that, and the tried inching away from her, but was stopped by a wall conviniently placed behind him. He was now on the flat on the ground, with his head leaning up against the wall, and Tanya was crawling over him.

"Tanya, listen... I just don't feel..."

"Jason... shut up."

With that, she placed her lips on his. Jason was immediately caught off guard, but surprisingly, the kiss was by no means rough. It was rather gentle and tender... and the warmth of her lips on his... No. He can't allow himself to go on with this. Jason pushed Tanya off him, and sat upright. She was surprised, though the next thing Jason was about to do surprised her, and himself.

He kissed her back.

A rush of conflicting thoughts poured in Jason's head. He tried wondering why he was doing this. Was it lust? No. Jason never would think of women like that. Was it the alchohol? He wanted to think it, but he knew he wasn't really drunk. Wine isn't full of too much stuff to get him intoxicated. How else was he able to think this information through? Did Jason actually like her? No... that can't be... could it? Why exactly does he try to avoid a relaitionship with her? For one, it's a bit of a liability sure. Then, there's the fact she could take advantage of him, though he doesn't know what he could possibly offer. But lastly, there was the most important issue... if Jason were to become friends with her, let alone love, and something were to happen out here in the wasteland... The worst part about this... Jason didn't care as he held her in his arms...

**Ha. Everything was going smoothly. Men would be so predictable, no matter how resistant they are to someone's charms. **

Tanya pulled out a silenced pistol from Jason's backpackwhile he was distracted**. **

**Time to fulfill Burke and Tenpenny's wish.**

The truth was, Tanya was an assassin. One of the best in the wasteland. And she was in the employ of none other than Alistair Tenpenny. Following Jason's disarming of Megaton's bomb, Mr. Burke dispatched an assassin to deal with him. But on a special request. That she grow close to him, and get him to trust her, then strike when he leasts expects it... like a black widow, luring prey into its web. That black widow was Tanya. On her way to intercept Jason with a mercenary posing as a Raider to beset her, Tanya was ambushed by Super Mutants and kept captive. What luck she had, when Jason himself rescued her. (read end of chapter 3 in bold. You'll understand then) Since then, she's been following him, using feminine wiles and other old tricks to get him to open up.

Now's her chance.

As her lips were still locked with his, she aimed the gun at his head. However, something just kept her from pulling the trigger. Why couldn't she do it? She could finally end his life, go home, and get her pay. Then what was she waiting for? She'd killed several people before, but what made Jason so different? Could she actually be falling in... no... In all her life, Tanya never thought of the dreaded "L-word" let alone ever saying the word. What was it about Jason? She can't love. She's been raised by Raiders and surrounded by death. If there's some sort of thing inside you that makes you feel these emotions, Tanya lost it long ago. But... could that "thing" be coming back? Jason has saved her life on more than one occasion, and seems like a genuinely nice guy. But now... now she knew why this contract was so different. She never knew who or why she killed someone. She just did it. But now... Burke was a fool to ask such a request. Either that, or she was the worst assassin ever. But now, none of that seemed to matter. If Tanya would ever hope for redemtion in her life, Jason would undoubtedly provide much help. Burke would be pissed. She laughed at the thought of his surprised face. She silently put the pistol back in the bag, and wrapped her arms around Jason.

At the moment, each person had their reasons for not going on with this. However, neither cared at the moment. Because right now, Jason wasn't some badass doctor. And Tanya wasn't some black widow. All that was apparent at the moment...

...Was that they were lovers.


	8. Dream On

**Authors Notes: Thanks to all my reveiwers. I realize I executed the ending somewhat rusty, so hopefully this will be a better change. Special thanks to Fire Kunai for allowing use of a couple of her ideas in my fic. I'm going to just speed this up, and let's just read the story!**

"Shit..." Jason muttered. It had been the next day since the Big Town adventure, and Jason saw Tanya right next to him, looking like she's preparing breakfast. Jason immediately regrets his decision from last night. He knew he would get a lashing from himself for starting this little relationship. At the moment, it seemed like instinct to kiss her... right now, it seemed like he was a total dumbass. And it seemed all too sudden, just kissing her like that. Just by that kiss alone, Jason could've potentially fucked the rest of his life. Nothing he could do now really.

"Hey, Jason!"

Jason looked to see Tanya's cheery face. He cursed himself under his breath, before responding back.

"Good morning, Tanya. How are you this morning?"

"Great! But last night was incredible..."

Jason seemed to notice that the tone she spoke those last words were unmistakable, and a thousand thoughts rushed to his head.

"Tanya... did we.... never mind."

"Wait! You don't remember? Were you drunk or something?"

"Tanya, what the hell are you talking about?"

"The... sex..."

"What?!"

"Relax... I'm just kidding. Nothing too major happened. That is, if your thoughts of 'major' are the same as mine."

Tanya shot a playful grin at Jason, and he still seemed freaked out by this whole ordeal with him and Tanya. Already, he seems a bit antsy. Jason took a deep breath, and sighed as he exhaled. As he was about to grab his glasses, Tanya stopped him.

"Don't. You look handsome with your glasses off."

Jason stuttered a bit trying to say something, but all he could muster was, "Thanks." He hesitantly put his glasses his pocket before moving on. After a few thanks and final goodbyes to Pappy, Red, and the other Big Town residents, Jason, Tanya, James, and Dogmeat headed their way to Rivet City. As Jason hiked and walked on, he could feel the slight chill of the air, amidst the usually burning sun. Autumn was ending, and winter would soon be dawning. Jason always wondered what the peculiar sight of snow would be like. A sea of white across as far as the eye can sea, rather than the sight of brown and death. However, it was very unlikely snow even exists in this hellhole. But that is the Capital Wasteland for you; always crushing one's hopes and dreams. Jason wondered if such a simple concept such as a dream existed. There are some who face the real word and deal with it. There are others who are dreamers, alone in a world with nothing but prayer for salvation and to live another day. Then, there are others lost in a realm between dreams and reality. Jason was one of those people. Even he didn't even know the true meaning of it. But the stuff Jason went through these past few days were like something beyond his wildest dreams (or nightmares). Just last week, he was learning stuff on pre-war history, and kicked Butch's ass back in the vault... but now... he was outside facing Raiders, Super Mutants, animals, and the forces of nature, while making friends, exploring a new world, possibly fell in love, and even meeting his mom, whom he thought was dead for the last 19 years. It's strange really. Jason still can't believe that he just was a normal kid in Vault 101. But all this killing... wandering... discovery... truth... all this was just a normal wastelander.

As the team walked through the metal doors, Jason and James would go see Madison once more. Tanya and Dogmeat would stay in the marketplace. It felt good for Jason and James to be back in Rivet City; behind these metal walls. This was probably as close to Vault 101 as they were going to get. As Jason and James marched into the science lab, people were surprised and shocked to see them again. When James caught up to Madison, she cried, and gave a warm embrace to him. For the first time ever, Jason now actually felt he had two parents.

"Hey... Mom."

It was weird using that word. Mom. Such an elementary word, and Jason could never use it without feeling some sort of pang at his heart. Now he could say it flawlessly. Of course, it still would take some getting used to. When Madison looked up and saw her son, she smiled. It was obvious she was happy she could finally be a mother. She let go of James and gave a large hug to Jason as well.

"Mom... I told you I'd find him..."

"Yes, well... I'm sorry I ever fancied the idea of doubting you... son."

The word "son" was as alien to Madison, as "mom" was to Jason.

As their "family moment" was over, James spoke to Jason.

"Jason, I realize that you have may questions to ask of us right now, but I request that leave Madison and I alone to discuss some things. We'll have plenty of time to talk later."

Jason didn't want to argue with him. He knew James and Madison probably had a thing or two to discuss, both on Project Purity and otherwise. He decided to meet up with Tanya back in the market plaza. He caught up with them at a small restauraunt called Gary's Gallery. Tanya was eating some stew, while Dogmeat was nibbling on a Brahmin steak on the ground next to her. As Jason sat on the bar stool, a young woman apprached him.

"Hi. Welcome to Gary's Gallery. May I take your order?"

The voice... seemed so familiar...

"Mary? Mary Holden?" Jason asked. The woman gasped and hugged Jason. It was in fact her. She was still clad in her Vault 101 suit, which looked like it had seen better days. She still didn't seem to change.

"God, Jason! I missed you! Where the hell have you been?" Mary asked still very excited.

"Me? I've been... out and about. Where's Tom?"

Out of nowwhere, Tom popped up from behind the bar counter. Tom on the other hand looked very different. He was wearing very crudely stitched clothes, and had a stubble of beard growing on his face. He had the look of the wasteland on him. But he still had a smile that was unmistakable.

"Holy shit! Jason? Is that you? Oh my god, it is!"

It was nice for Jason to see some familiar faces. He was worried the Capital Wasteland claimed these two as just another pair of victims. Though, Jason still had some things to settle with Tom...

"Hey, Jason... I know we had some rough times before you left, but no hard feelings, right?" Tom was nervously eying the large shotgun on Jason's back, the mean looking dog, and the fact Jason looked a bit physically stronger since they last met.

"Yeah. I forgive you. But first..."

Jason punched Tom in the face, but held back some, not wanting to injur him too much, but still hurt him a bit.

"Ow! What the fuck?! Okay... I deserve that..."

"So what are you guys doing on Rivet City? I thought you guys were supposed to be in Megaton," Jason asked.

"Well, after you left, we then stayed in Megaton for a little while, but then heard of an even greater settlement: Rivet City. So we hitched with a traveling caravan and made our way here. Life's been great now. We actually have jobs now! And a safe place to stay. It's great!" Mary exclaimed. Jason knew that Tom and Mary worked at the vault's diner, so it made sense for them to be working at a restauraunt again.

"Well, you are NOT going to believe the shit I went through," Jason stated.

After a long period of storytelling and flashbacks, Jason told his long story to Tom and Mary. How he met Tanya, traveled to GNR, faught Super Mutants, met his mom, and was sent into a simulated world, and found his dad. And here he was now. What's crazy is, his story is still being weaved and has not come to an end...

"Wait! Your mom is the scientist here on Rivet City? Holy crap!"

Yeah. Holy crap. Even now, Jason still can't believe it. There's a lot he's been through that he's still not able to comprehend and such.

As everyone said their goodbyes, James and Madison came out, with their team of scientists loyally following them.

"Jason. After much discussion, we must go to the Jefferson Memorial and activate the mainframe, power grid, and get everything online, as well as restoring the facility the way it was twenty years ago."

"How long will it take?" Jason asked.

"Optimistically... two months."

Jason was no doubt surprised, but he was determined.

"Well then. We've got a lot of work ahead of us, don't we?"

"That's my boy. Let's go. The future of the Capital Wasteland is at hand."

These next few months were an incredible experience. So many things... He had his dad, was working on machinery and computers... for the first time ever since leaving the vault, things could actually be going back to normal. Well, as normal as it can get out here. Jason thought it felt nice that James was able to play the parent again, even if it was feeling annoying all over again. Especially one very awkward conversation...

"Jason, I think it's about time we had a 'father and son chat.'"

Jesus... have mercy on Jason's poor soul.

"I've been seeing you spend an awful lot of time with this 'Tanya' girl. Is there anything I should know?"

"Dad! Nothing is going on between us!" Jason said very defensively. James merely smiled, thinking he could see straight through him.

"Jason, I know that look. I haven't seen you like this since Christine Kendall, or even Amata."

"Dad... Christine was a long time ago. And second, I was never in to Amata. She's... like a sister to me."

"You never noticed she had a thing for you? Hmm... In any case, I have mixed feelings about my son dating an older woman..."

"Okay, first of all, she's not that old! She's just 21! Second, we are not dating!"

A long and painfully awkward silence ensued, before James proceeded with the interrogation

"Did you have sex with her?"

"NO!" James could tell Jason wasn't lying about that.

"Did you kiss her?"

"No..." Jason stuttered out that last word, making it painfully obvious. "Dad, I know what you're thinking, but I can't put it any clearer. NOTHING is going on between us!"

James merely smirked before letting Jason off the hook. However, Jason would soon know that karma's a bitch... Later that day, Jason was in his room, reading several books by candlelight, including a Pugilism Illustrated, a Dean's Electronics, and a Big Book of Science among other things. Power had not been restored yet, so he had to read in the dark. Then, Tanya walked through the door... Jason payed no attention to her as he kept reading. Tanya knelt to the ground where Jason was sitting and wrapped her arms around him.

"Hey Jason... what'cha doin'?" She said in a rather kiddy yet charming voice.

"Reading..." Jason said hesitantly. He still was somewhat wary of Tanya, even though their relationship has developed a little since their first kiss.

Then, she gave him a light kiss on the cheek. Then that kiss went to the lips... soon enough she was on top of him in a very comprimising position. One thing might have lead to another... had the lights in the room suddenly went on, and footsteps were walking by.

"Jason! We've restored power to the facility! I need you to help me bring up the-"

"Oh shit..." Jason muttered.

Surely enough, James walked through the door, and was somewhat surprised and not so surprised to see them. A couple awkward moments later, James spoke out.

"So... there's nothing going on between you two, is there?"

"You told him we weren't together? I thought we had a thing going!" Tanya yelled. She slapped Jason on the face.

"Because we are not together! Dad, I know this looks bad, but there is nothing going on between us!" Jason exclaimed. However, Jason knew there was no fooling him.

"Hehe... I'll leave you two lovebirds alone..." James said, before closing Jason's door.

"Son of a bitch..." Jason cursed under his breath yet again.

Yeah... good times. While Jason was no doubt pissed from that experiance, he still appreciates all the little things that happen here at the memorial. It's at least nice to get your mind off of this Capital Wasteland. One of the most interesting things though in his experiance here, was his mom, Madison Li. It was still weird, but he would adjust. He needed to get used to having a mom, while Madison needed to get used to being a mom. In his short time with her, Jason couldn't ask for a better mom. She shared his and Dad's scientific pursuits, and she was a nice person in general. She was a female equivalent of James. Although, Madison is somewhat more strict and stingy than James though...

As the days passed, more and more machinery was brought up online. More and more work needed to be done. Jason used his computer and maintenance skills more than he ever had in the vault. He was a lab coat, just like the others. Tanya on the other hand, was rather inept with computers, and only provided help with basic tasks. Everyone was always occupied with something to do, and people barely had any free time. Soon, days became weeks. And weeks became months. They had been operating in this place for three months. Jason often looked outside and saw a bit of what looked like snowflakes. And he could even see large formations of it in the distance. How can snow even exist if this place dosen't rain? Well, no matter. One shouldn't complain at this gift, and Jason was rather enjoying it. He, Tanya, and especially Dogmeat all enjoyed this Winter Wonderland. For the first time ever since leaving the vault, Jason actually had fun. And best of all, Super Mutants would be going into hiding, and waiting for the snow to clear up. In the end, the Capital Wasteland couldn't give its people a better Christmas gift. Maybe dreams can come true. Go figure. If this came true, what's to stop Project Purity? Well... quite a few things actually...

It all was normal, until that fateful day...

"Jason, can you head over to the flood control pump, and bring it online? And Tanya, can you install these fuses in the fuse box, please?"

Jason and Tanya dutifully (Tanya rather grudgingly) headed over to do their respective tasks. After some work there, and rebooting one of the primary mainframes, Jason was told to drain the intake pipes, which he would do right away. He opened a grate, and entered the rather smelly tunnel. As he moved along, Jason found an area of the pipe that has rusted away, and a mesh fence on the outside. Jason turned the faucet valve, and when he was about to go back inside, a large explosion went off in the distance. To his horror, he saw a large flying metal vehicle, what looked like a more advanced version of a pre-war Osprey helicopter. The hatches opened, revealing several soldiers clad in power armor. Jason could've sworn they were from the Brotherhood, but that armor looked more advanced. Scarier still, was the large machines being unloaded from the flying machine. Being the big history buff he was, Jason was able to instantly recognize those things. Those were Irving Unmanned Weapons. Robots, basically. But not just any robot. They were 12 feet tall, had tremendous firepower, but most remarkable of all were the legs of the machine. They were animal like legs made of some sort of organic muscle tissue that were extremely powerful. The machines have been nicknamed Gekko. God knows what else those things can do...

"What the hell is going on?" Jason muttered to himself.

"The Enclave? Here?! Madison, unlock the doors!"

Jason found the doors beside him have been unlocked, and he immediatly darted out of there. As he exited, he heard several screaming and laser fire. Several scientists were fleeing, from the battle, as Enclave power armor troops opened fire haplessly on these defenseless people. Jason grabbed his shotgun, and immediately threw himself in the battle. He fired the shotgun, and was pleased to know that armor can't always stop bullets. He shot large gaping holes in those nice and shiny helmets of theirs. Then, a Gekko burst through a concrete wall and opened fire. His shotgun seemed useless against that armor. The Gekko gave a powerful kick at Jason, sending him flying back a couple feet. From the ground, he fired at it, and he fired a shot at its leg. The fell on the ground trying to get up. Jason then realized its greatest strength, was also its greatest weakness. He got up and fired at its legs, which seemed to actually bleed red blood. After rendering the Gekko immobile, Jason pried a plasma grenade from an Enclave corpse and threw it at the thing. Then, a fantastic explosion ensued, and the Gekko had been destroyed. After all immediate threats were eliminated, Jason went over to the scientists, his mother among them.

"Mom, who the hell are these people?"

"They're of the Enclave, but there isn't time to talk. James is still in the rotunda. We have to help him!"

Jason let out a sharp whistle, and four furry legs scampered over to Jason's location.

"Dogmeat, stay with these scientists. Guard them with your life."

Without question, Dogmeat went to the scientists and stood ready to try and get any Enclave soldiers, though Jason prayed that Dogmeat and the scientists would be alright. Jason and Madison rushed over to the rotunda, where the bulkhead was on lockdown, seemingly trapping everyone within. There was Janice Kaplinski with James. Four other people, from what Jason could assume were Enclave personnel, where also inside. Two power suit soldiers, and two men in long tan overcoats. One of the men looked about in his 50's or so. He had silvery gray hair and a stern, no-nonsense look. The other man in the overcoat was a man around his 30's, wore an officer's cap, and had a look of what seemed like determination or annoyance. Or both. This would not end well.

"Look, I'm sorry. I'm afraid this facility is useless to you. Colonel Autumn, you are just wasting your time," James said.

"You listen to me! This facility is now property of the United States government. You surrender control to us, and assist Enclave scientists in managing this facility," The elder man said with a slight southern accent.

"I'm afraid I can't do that Colonel."

"Hm... Major Winters!" The man known as Colonel Autumn shouted out. The other man in overcoat saluted, identifying himself. "You know what to do, Major..."

"Wait. Your names are Autumn and Winters?" Jason asked from the outside. Serious as this was, he let out a small chuckle before focusing back on the situation at hand. The man known as Major Winters pulled out an old six shooter revolver. A .44 from the looks of it. He loaded a single round into the cylinder and spun it.

"Now this, my friend is a .44 revolver. The most powerful hangun out in the Capital Wastes. Now, all I can ask you is, do you feel lucky? Do you?"

"Cute. Do you have any more 'Dirty Harry' quotes?" James joked. This did not amuse the soldiers however, and Major Winters aimed his revolver at James. Jason and Madison were feeling very uncomfortable, knowing full well what was going to happen. The Russian Roulette would begin.

"Now, I'm gonna ask nicely. Give us control of this facility," Winters asked.

"I'm sorry," James said. "I'm afraid this place is useless to you. We've never actually gotten real results."

Winters pulled the trigger. All there was, was an empty click.

"Surrender it now, or this next one might not be a blank!" Winters shouted.

"You can't have any use for it. This facility is still very much offline. It's missing some very key components."

Click.

"The more you say no, the better chance of you getting a bullet in your brain!"

"No."

Click.

Jason and Madison could only watch as he steered closer to death.

"Give us this place, NOW!"

"I'm sorry. I can't let our dream end like this..."

In his frustration, Winters aimed the gun at Janice and pulled the trigger. And this time, it wasn't a blank. Janice's broken body fell to the ground. Madison weeped over the loss of one of her most trusted lab assistants and friend. It was a shame. A damn shame.

"Do I have to make myself clearer?" Major Winters asked, now fully loading his gun.

"No. I understand. I don't want to have any more innocents harmed. Just give me a minute..." He then went over to a console, where he was typing some things in. James looked at Madison from inside and mouthed the words, "I'm sorry."

"Excellent work, Major Winters," Colonel Autumn congratulated. The Major put his revolver away, and the Enclave officers awaited James to finish what he was doing. Suddenly, a low hissing sound could be heard, and one of the power armor soldiers gagged, and fell to the ground. The other power suit soldier fell as well, and then Colonel Autumn slumped to the ground. Winters was trying to help the Colonel get up, before he injected himself with something, as well as the Colonel, before falling to his radioactive demise himself. James was limping toward the window Jason was looking from. His hands were pressed up againt the glass.

"Run...RUN!" James yelled, as he too succombed to the ground.

"No..." Jason said. Madison grabbed Jason's arm and tried to drag him out of this rotunda, but he wrestled from her grip.

"Jason, we have to leave, NOW!"

"No, I can't leave him there!"

"You have to! The inside is filled with lethal doses of radiation."

"Mom, what the fuck happened?!"

"Your father... he sacrificed himself. To save the project... to save us... But Jason, we have to leave now, or else his sacrifice would have been in vain! We must leave!"

After looking at his father's body, and saying a prayer, Jason ran with Madison over to a manhole, where she unlocked it. Climbing down, Jason found that the whole scientist team, Dogmeat, and Tanya were all hiding in the sewers.

"Jason, what the hell happened up there?" Tanya asked, looking at the very distressed look on his face.

"Dad... he... he..." Jason couldn't finish the sentence. It was all just too much. A tear fell from his face, before he wiped it off. Madison silently whispered to Tanya what had happened. She looked surprised and sorrowful at this news. After regaining his composure, Jason needed to get the hell out of here. And Madison knew just the place. The Citadel, the Brotherhood of Steel's base, could be reached from these sewers. They just have to fight their way through. As Madison discussed things with her team, Jason was wondering about his thoughts on dreams. Do dreams really come true? Dad was dead. The Enclave had Jefferson Memorial. All things just went downhill. Can a dream really come true out here? What about the snow? Was that just luck? Well, Jame's dream might be a bit harder to make a reality. Well... dream on.

**Author Notes: Thank you for reading. I wanted to make this chapter longer, but certain issues prevent me from doing that. Oh, in case you don't know, the idea of seasonal change, and staying at Jefferson Memorial for three months was Fire Kunai's idea. Very special thanks to her. Also, the Gekko are machines from Metal Gear Solid 4. I thought they might be pretty cool on this story. Anyway, I think I could have improved this chapter a lot. I myself am not pleased with the final outcome. However, I will leave that to the decision of the readers, as to if I've done a good job or not. Please read and review!**


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